Human uterine Natural Killer cells regulate differentiation of extravillous trophoblast early in pregnancy - bulk RNA-seq data
An allorecognition system depending on interactions between uterine Natural Killer (uNK) cells and placental extravillous trophoblast (EVT) during early pregnancy influences reproductive outcomes in humans. Our previous immunogenetic studies show that particular combinations of maternal Killer Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIR) in uNK cells with fetal HLA-C variants on EVT are associated with disorders of pregnancy, especially pre-eclampsia. To identify responses stimulated in uNK cells specifically when activating KIR (KIR2DS1) binds to C2+HLA-C, a combination protective against pre-eclampsia, we modelled KIR-HLA interactions by co-culturing uNK cells with the 721.221 HLA-null cell line transfected to express either C1+ or C2+HLA-C molecules, followed by transcriptome profiling by RNA sequencing. We detect the secretion of key cytokines by uNK cells under the protective combination between KIR2DS1 and C2+HLA-C.