Cells with haematopoietic stem cell phenotype in adult human endometrium: relevance to infertility?
BACKGROUND
Uterine lymphoid cell repertoires are specialized in order to meet the twin demands of successful pregnancy and local immunosurveillance. The possibility that some of these populations might differentiate locally from progenitor cells has been proposed.


METHODS
Endometrial tissue from women with a history of infertility as well as fertile controls was examined for haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and lymphoid progenitors using three-colour flow cytometry.


RESULTS
Significant populations of phenotypic HSCs (CD34+ CD45+ ) were detected in all samples, a high proportion of which co-expressed the differentiation marker CD45RA (45.7%), indicating ongoing differentiation. Almost 30% of uterine HSCs co-expressed CD56 and 44% co-expressed CD7, suggesting the presence of lymphoid progenitors. Small proportions expressed CD127 and CD122, receptors for interleukin (IL)-7 and IL-15, respectively. HSC numbers were similar in the endometrial samples from fertile and infertile women. However, the proportion co-expressing the natural killer (NK) antigen CD56 was significantly increased compared with HSCs found in the endometrium of fertile controls (P = 0.002).


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first demonstration of cells with an HSC phenotype in the human endometrium, and increased proportions of NK progenitors in endometrium of women with infertility suggests a dysregulation of this pathway that may contribute to infertility.
Lynch
L
L
Education and Research Centre, St Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Golden-Mason
L
L
Eogan
M
M
O'Herlihy
C
C
O'Farrelly
Cliona
C
D000328:Adult; D019011:Antigens, CD7 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004717:Endometrium / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D019409:Interleukin-15 / Q000378:metabolism; D053646:Interleukin-2 Receptor beta Subunit / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000378:metabolism; D053699:Interleukin-7 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype
D019011:Antigens, CD7; D019002:CD56 Antigen; D019409:Interleukin-15; D053646:Interleukin-2 Receptor beta Subunit; D015851:Interleukin-7; D053699:Interleukin-7 Receptor alpha Subunit