Lea Gudelj

Characteristics of Perforin Expressing Lymphocytes Within the First Trimester Decidua of Human Pregnancy

PROBLEM: The number of perforin (P)‐positive cells in decidua of pregnancy is larger than that observed in any other pathological condition. The aim was to investigate the distribution and the phenotype of P+ cells.

Regeneration and tolerance factor of the human placenta induces IL-10 production

Regeneration and tolerance factor (RTF) was originally identified in the placenta of mice and the isolated protein shown to have suppressive effects. In these studies, the gene cloned from thymus tissue was mapped to human chromosome 12. The role of recombinant RTF on cytokines was examined. In addition, we examined the human placenta by immunohistochemistry for RTF expression. RTF was expressed at the peripheral layer of cytotrophoblast in 7–9‐week‐old placentas. Using the RTF gene sequence, a recombinant protein was prepared and shown to induce IL‐10 production. These data indicate that RTF is expressed by the tissues most intimately involved at the maternal‐fetal interface, and its biological activity is capable of producing the necessary immune response for initiating and maintaining the maternal‐fetal relationship.

Perforin-expressing lymphocytes in peripheral blood and decidua of human first-trimester pathological pregnancies

PROBLEM: We have shown previously that the decidua of first‐trimester human pregnancy is heavily infiltrated with perforin‐positive cells. The aim was to detect expression of perforin in both decidual lymphocytes (DL) and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in the first trimester of pathological pregnancies: Anembryonic pregnancy and missed abortion.

Decidual-trophoblast interactions: decidual lymphoid cell function in normal, anembryonic, missed abortion and ectopic human pregnancy

This study was designed to investigate the consequences of decidua-trophoblast interactions on the phenotype, spontaneous and induced proliferation and immunoregulatory potential of decidual leukocytes in normal pregnancies (NP), anembryonic pregnancies (AP), missed abortions (MA) and ectopic pregnancies (EP). Spontaneous proliferation of decidual non-adherent cells (NAD) from pregnancies with viable trophoblast inside the uterus is significantly higher than proliferation of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from the same groups (P < 0.001 for NP; P < 0.05 for AP). Spontaneous proliferation of decidual NAD cells from NP was higher (P < 0.001) when compared with AP and EP. The induced (PHA and Con A) responses of PBL from women with normal and pathological pregnancies were significantly higher than that of decidual NAD cells (P < 0.001). Higher proliferation of NAD decidual cells was obtained when Con A-stimulated NP were compared with MA and EP (P < 0.01). The interaction of viable trophoblast with intrauterine decidua appears to be a prerequisite for the activation of NAD suppressor cells, since NAD cells from MA produced stimulation instead of suppression, and NAD cells from EP had no suppressive effect. On the contrary, both NAD and adherent (AD) decidual leukocytes from NP and AP produced very strong suppression of PHA or alloantigen-induced PBL proliferation. The contact between trophoblast and AD decidual leukocytes is not necessary for their suppressive function, since even higher suppression is obtained with the cells from ectopic pregnancies.

Decidual-trophoblast interactions: decidual lymphoid cell populations in basal and parietal decidua.

Immunohistochemical analysis of tissue specimens from human pregnancy decidua basalis in contact with invasive trophoblast of chorion frondosum and decidua parietalis in contact with non-invasive chorion laeve do not differ in the frequency of lymphoid cells of the following phenotypes (CD2, CD4, CD8, CD14, CD21 and gamma/delta TCR). A practical implication of this observation is that the collection of lymphoid cells from whole decidua by curettage for functional studies is justified.

Membrane Phenotype and Expression of Perforin and Serine Esterases by CD3− Peripheral Blood and Decidual Granular Lymphocyte-Derived Clones

PROBLEM: Human first‐trimester pregnancy decidua were found to contain large numbers of perforin (P)‐containing cells, which varied in their membrane antigen phenotype. In this study results obtained by analyzing CD3 clones derived from human early pregnancy decidua and peripheral blood are reported.