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The significance of women's natural killer cell receptors repertoire in the maintenance of pregnancy
Author(s) -
VarlaLeftherioti. Marighoula
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
american journal of reproductive immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.071
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1600-0897
pISSN - 1046-7408
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0897.2002.00023.x
Subject(s) - trophoblast , biology , repertoire , human leukocyte antigen , receptor , reproductive immunology , immunology , pregnancy , antigen , hla c , genetics , placenta , reproductive technology , fetus , physics , lactation , acoustics
It has been suggested that decidual NK cells play a regulatory role in pregnancy with their heterocladic (activating/inhibitory) receptor repertoire to control trophoblast infiltration. Most of the NK receptors (NKRs) have as ligands HLA molecules (HLA‐C,‐G,‐E), which are expressed on invading trophoblast and they may interact with their NKR counterparts and provide self‐signals to evade trophoblastic damage. When we studied the NKR repertoire in couples with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortions by genotyping partners for NKRs (KIR and CD94/NKG receptors, known to have as ligands HLA molecules present on trophoblast), we found that aborting women usually have a limited inhibitory KIR (inhKIR) repertoire. Our hypothesis that a limited inhKIR repertoire predisposes to miscarriage, because it is ineffective to abort activating signals and protect trophoblast, is supported by studies in selected couples, known to posses HLA‐Cw antigens interacting with inhKIRs and by studies on the placental material of spontaneously lost or electively terminated pregnancies. Most of the aborters did not have inhKIRs specific for the HLA‐C antigens possibly expressed on trophoblast and this seems to be confirmed when KIRs and HLA‐Cs are genotyped using DNA extracted from decidual and trophoblastic cells, respectively. Increasing knowledge about KIR haplotypes is expected to be helpful in the study of the suggestedinhKIR – HLA‐C allorecognition system in pregnancy.