title: Role of uterine natural killer cells in angiogenesis of human decidua of the first-trimester pregnancy.
abstract: Decidualization is accompanied by extensive angiogenesis, which is an essential step in the maturation of new blood vessels in mammalian pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to determine a distribution of uNK cells (CD56(+) uNK or CD56(bright) cells) in human decidua of the first-trimester pregnancy, and investigate whether uNK cells in human decidua could express vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) and/or angiopoietin2 (Ang2). Our immunohistochemical staining results demonstrated that a great amount of uNK (CD56(+)) cells scattered throughout the decidual stroma and near endometrial gland and spiral vessels in human decidua. The protein expression of VEGF-A and Ang2 was detected in decidual stroma cells, capillary endothelial cells and glandular cells in tissue specimens. There was a positive correlation between microvessel density (MVD) and the number of the CD56-positive uNK cells in decidual stroma, and also between the number of the CD56-positive uNK cells and VEGF-A protein expression in the tissue. In addition, we found that uNK cells in human decidua could express VEGF-A mRNA, but not Ang2 mRNA, in isolated uNK cells in human decidua of the first-trimester gestation by combination of LCM and Nested-PCR. Our study indicated that uNK cells, through expressing VEGF-A, may play an important role in the angiogenic response at the time of human decidualization and early placenta development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: GuoHua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: QingJie
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: KaiXuan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: RaoFang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: HuiLi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003656:Decidua / Q000098:blood supply / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000276:immunology*