Changes in the subpopulation of CD25+ CD4+ and FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in decidua with respect to the progression of labor at term and the lack of analogical changes in the subpopulation of suppressive B7-H4 macrophages--a preliminary report.
OBJECTIVE
The initiation of labor is accompanied by alterations in the level of maternal immune tolerance toward fetal antigens. It is a complex molecular response leading to a brief activation of the maternal immune system with an accompanying capacity to restrict this same activation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the subpopulation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and B7-H4 macrophages in the decidua basalis during cesarean sections performed on patients in various stages of labor.


METHODS
The decidual tissue samples evaluated in our study were obtained from 23 pregnant women who underwent cesarean sections at term. Moreover, the patients were divided into three subgroups according to the progression of labor at the time of the cesarean. The presence of Treg cells and B7-H4 positive macrophages were analysed by fluorescence-activated cell sorter.


RESULTS
The percentages of FOXP3+ cells in the subpopulation of CD25+ CD4+ T lymphocytes found in the deciduas of patients decreased with the successive stages of labor, while the percentages of B7-H4 positive cells in the macrophage subpopulation remained almost constant.


CONCLUSIONS
These changes in the Treg cell subpopulation in the decidua would seem to be related to a brief activation of the maternal immune system as labor begins and lack of analogical changes in the subpopulation of decidual suppressive B7-H4+ macrophages that enable the restriction of this same activation as labor progresses.
Galazka
Krystyna
K
Department of Gynecology and Oncology of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
Wicherek
Lukasz
L
Pitynski
Kazimierz
K
Kijowski
Jacek
J
Zajac
Kszysztof
K
Bednarek
Wieslawa
W
Dutsch-Wicherek
Magdalena
M
Rytlewski
Krzysztof
K
Kalinka
Jaroslaw
J
Basta
Antoni
A
Majka
Marcin
M
D000328:Adult; D018122:B7-1 Antigen; D002585:Cesarean Section; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D003656:Decidua / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D006801:Humans; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000276:immunology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
D018122:B7-1 Antigen; C088832:CCDC6 protein, human; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit