title: Cytotoxic activity of endometrial granulated lymphocytes during the menstrual cycle in humans.
abstract: CD56+ CD16- granulated lymphocytes, termed endometrial granulated lymphocytes (eGLs), have been suggested to play a role in the maintenance of human pregnancy, although their in vivo function in both pregnant and nonpregnant endometrium remains unknown. The present study compared the cytotoxic activity of CD56+ CD16- eGLs (> 98% purity) positively selected from early and late proliferative-phase, early and late secretory-phase, and menstrual-phase endometrium with that of CD56+ CD16- eGLs purified from first-trimester decidua and CD56+ predominantly CD16+ cells from peripheral blood. From the late proliferative phase onwards, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-nonrestricted cytotoxic activity of eGLs was comparable between phases of the menstrual cycle. In contrast, eGLs from early proliferative-phase endometrium displayed significantly lower cytotoxic activity. With the exception of eGLs purified from early proliferative-phase endometrium, the cytotoxic activity of CD56+ CD16- eGLs purified from nonpregnant endometrium was comparable to that of CD56+ CD16- eGLs in decidua and CD56+ predominantly CD16+ cells from peripheral blood. No endogenous lymphokine-activated killer cell activity was detected in eGLs from endometrium or decidua. The present study using highly purified eGLs demonstrates that, with the exception of early proliferative-phase samples, CD56+ CD16- eGLs from nonpregnant endometrium and early pregnancy decidua have cytotoxic activity comparable to that of "classical" natural killer cells from peripheral blood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University of Newcastle, The Medical School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom. 101552.3635@compuserve.com
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Bulmer
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Searle
mesh_terms: D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000502:physiology; D003656:Decidua / Q000166:cytology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000502:physiology; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000502:physiology; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D017452:Receptors, IgG / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019002:CD56 Antigen; D017452:Receptors, IgG