title: Phenotypic characterization of human decidual macrophages.
abstract: Pregnancy is a challenge to the immune system, which not only has to protect the mother and the fetus from invading pathogens but to also maintain immunological tolerance against the fetus. However, the mechanisms inhibiting local immune responses in the maternal decidual tissue are poorly understood. We have studied decidual CD14+ macrophages, which may be important in the maintenance of a tolerance against the developing fetus. Decidual macrophages expressed HLA-DR, but lower levels of costimulatory molecule CD86 than peripheral blood CD14+ monocytes from pregnant and non-pregnant women. Decidual macrophages produced spontaneously high levels of interleukin-10. Our findings suggest that decidual macrophages could represent an inhibitory type of APCs. Supporting this conclusion indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), suggested to have an immunosuppressive role in pregnancy, was expressed in decidual macrophages. Furthermore, decidual macrophages were not able to differentiate into dendritic cells under the influence of IL-4 + GM-CSF. These results suggest an immunoinhibitory function of decidual macrophages at the maternal-fetal interface.
authors.affiliation: Turku Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Turku University, Turku, Finland. jenni.heikkinen@utu.fi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heikkinen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Möttönen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Komi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alanen
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lassila
mesh_terms: D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003656:Decidua / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D050503:Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors / Q000032:analysis; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014366:Tryptophan Oxygenase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D050503:Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016753:Interleukin-10; D014366:Tryptophan Oxygenase