title: Antigen presenting capacity of human decidua: no evidence for human decidual antigen presenting cell mediated immunoregulation.
abstract: Decidual antigen presenting cell (APC) mediated maternal immunoregulation has been reported. In the present study the ability of villous chorion as well as fetal cell pulsed early human pregnancy decidual APC to generate selectively antigen non-specific and MHC class II unrestricted CD8 positive T suppressor cells was reassessed in view of the fact that placental trophoblast, unlike the fetus, constitutes the fetal tissue of major contact at the maternal-fetal interface. Neither fetal cell nor villous chorion pulsed decidual APC generated maternal T cells with the ability to immunosuppress PHA-, Con A- and PWM-induced autologous or allogeneic lymphoproliferation. In only 2 out of 45 assays with villous chorion pulsed decidual APC was significant inhibition of mitogen induced lymphoproliferation detected and on no occasion with fetal cell pulsed decidual APC. No change in CD4/CD8 ratio of the maternal putative regulatory cells was detected by FACS analysis compared with control cultures. These findings suggest that decidual APC mediated immunoregulation plays no role in directing the maternal immune response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Medical School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Searle
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wren
mesh_terms: D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D002469:Cell Separation; D002824:Chorionic Villi / Q000276:immunology; D003656:Decidua / Q000276:immunology*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology