title: Expression of CD3 epsilon, CD3 zeta, and RAG-1/RAG-2 in decidual CD56+ NK cells.
abstract: In early pregnancy the uterine mucosa, the decidua, is infiltrated by numerous CD56bright, CD16- natural killer (NK) cells. In this paper we have shown that unlike adult peripheral blood NK cells these uterine NK cells express cytoplasmic CD3 and CD3 zeta, but CD3 gamma and CD3 delta were not found in the majority of cells. In contrast to previous reports, there was no evidence of RAG-1 nor RAG-2 expression in decidual NK cells. These findings have implications for the ontogeny and development of decidual NK cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharkey
authors.forename: Y W
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Loke
mesh_terms: D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019002:CD56 Antigen; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003656:Decidua / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D016654:Genes, RAG-1; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011247:Pregnancy; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D017252:CD3 Complex; D019002:CD56 Antigen; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C499311:RAG2 protein, human; C064655:V(D)J recombination activating protein 2; C064658:RAG-1 protein