[Studies of endometrial granulocytes in early pregnant decidual tissue by means of double immunofluorescent staining and flow cytometry].
Isolated decidual cells, containing endometrial granulocytes, were prepared from human decidual tissue obtained during the first trimester. Surface markers of endometrial granulocytes were analysed by two-color immunofluorescent staining and flow cytometry. Morphological studies of the cells which were sorted according to the presence or absence of CD2 (sheep erythrocyte receptor) and CD3 (mature T cell marker) were also carried out by staining with phloxine-tartrazine. The results were as follows. The mean percentage of bone marrow derived cells was 72%, whereas CD2+ cells were up to 50% of isolated cells from decidual tissue. The cells containing cytoplasmic phloxinophilic granules, which were characteristic of endometrial granulocytes, were subpopulation of CD2+ cells. The granules were stained on CD2+/CD3- cells but not on CD2+/CD3+ cells. It was confirmed that endometrial granulocytes did not have the mature T cell marker and differed from the T cell lineage. Only a few cells expressed NK cell markers as well as CD2. It can therefore be concluded that endometrial granulocytes were not of the NK cell lineage. While non-T, non-NK, granulated suppressor cells, which may be analogous to endometrial granulocytes, were observed in mice decidual tissue (Clark et al.), there were very few numbers activated T cells in human decidual tissue. It is possible that endometrial granulocytes are related to the unresponsiveness of T cells in decidual tissue.
Watanabe
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D002469:Cell Separation; D003656:Decidua / Q000166:cytology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006098:Granulocytes; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First