Involvement of decidual Vα14 NKT cells in abortion

K Ito, M Karasawa, T Kawano… - Proceedings of the …, 2000 - National Acad Sciences
K Ito, M Karasawa, T Kawano, T Akasaka, H Koseki, Y Akutsu, E Kondo, S Sekiya…
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2000National Acad Sciences
The immunological mechanisms that regulate abortion are largely unknown. Here, we found
that a distinct subset of lymphocytes, Vα14 NKT cells expressing an invariant antigen
receptor encoded by Vα14/Jα281 and Vβ7 segments, accumulated in the decidua during
pregnancy and provoked abortion upon stimulation with α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), a
specific ligand for Vα14 NKT cells. The α-GalCer-mediated abortion was not observed in
Vα14 NKT-, IFN-γ-, tumor necrosis factor α-, or perforin-knock-out mice and appeared to be …
The immunological mechanisms that regulate abortion are largely unknown. Here, we found that a distinct subset of lymphocytes, Vα14 NKT cells expressing an invariant antigen receptor encoded by Vα14/Jα281 and Vβ7 segments, accumulated in the decidua during pregnancy and provoked abortion upon stimulation with α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), a specific ligand for Vα14 NKT cells. The α-GalCer-mediated abortion was not observed in Vα14 NKT-, IFN-γ-, tumor necrosis factor α-, or perforin-knock-out mice and appeared to be due to the degeneration of embryonic trophoblasts mediated by the activated Vα14 NKT cells whose perforin-dependent killing and production of IFN-γ and tumor necrosis factor α were essential. The possible role of the decidual Vα14 NKT cells in the pathogenesis of abortion is discussed.
National Acad Sciences