title: The immunolocalization of bcl-2 at the maternal-fetal interface in healthy and failing pregnancies.
abstract: Programmed cell death by apoptosis occurs in both fetal and maternal tissues during early pregnancy. To investigate a role for apoptosis at the maternal-fetal interface, we have immunolocalized the bcl-2 protein in formalin-fixed decidual and placental tissue collected from women undergoing surgical termination of pregnancy (n = 22), from women undergoing a sporadic miscarriage (n = 16) and from women with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss (more than three consecutive pregnancy losses; n = 22) undergoing a further miscarriage. In all three groups, bcl-2+ cells were found in aggregates and dispersed in the stroma, and immunoreactivity was observed in glandular epithelium. Double immunostaining revealed that a majority of stromal bcl-2+ cells were CD56+ large granular lymphocytes. A computerized image analysis revealed no significant differences in percentage area of bcl-2 or CD56+ immunostaining. Significantly more biopsies from the surgical termination group (4/10) had > 20% positive immunostaining for CD56 compared with 0% in the other two groups combined (0/20; P < 0.05). Bcl-2 immunoreactivity was observed in the villi syncytiotrophoblast, and staining intensity was consistently greater in the surgical termination group. The possible roles of bcl-2 at the maternal-fetal interface are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Centre for Reproductive Biology, University of Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Lea
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: al-Sharekh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tulppala
authors.forename: H O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Critchley
mesh_terms: D000026:Abortion, Habitual; D000028:Abortion, Induced; D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D003656:Decidua / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis; D010920:Placenta / Q000737:chemistry*; D011247:Pregnancy; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000737:chemistry; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D019002:CD56 Antigen; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D007633:Keratins