1. Alloantigen-enhanced accumulation of CCR5+ 'effector' regulatory T cells in the gravid uterus.
- Author
-
Kallikourdis, Marinos, Andersen, Kristian G., Welch, Katie A., and Betz, Alexander G.
- Subjects
- *
T cells , *LYMPHOCYTES , *IMMUNE system , *PREGNANT women , *LEUCOCYTES , *PREGNANCY - Abstract
Regulatory T cells play an essential role in preventing fetal rejection by the maternal immune system. Here we show that, based on the expression of CCR5, regulatory T cells can be divided into a highly suppressive CCR5+ and a far less suppressive CCRS- sub-population, suggesting that the former represent the effector arm of regulatory T cells. Although regulatory T ceils from CCR5-/- gene deletion mutants still suppress, they are less effective mediators of maternal-fetal tolerance. The accumulation of CCR5+ regulatory T cells at this site appears to be enhanced by alloantigen. This finding is in stark contrast to the systemic expansion of regulatory T cells during pregnancy, which appears to be alloantigen-independent. The fact that CCR5+ regulatory T cells preferentially accumulate in the gravid uterus and that expression of CCR5 on regulatory T cells can be induced by activation lead us to propose that CCR5 is responsible for the accumulation of those regulatory T cells that have been activated by paternal antigens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
- Full Text
- View/download PDF