The Uterine NK Cell Population Requires IL-15 but These Cells Are Not Required for Pregnancy nor the Resolution of a Listeria monocytogenes Infection
- 1 July 2003
- journal article
- Published by The American Association of Immunologists in The Journal of Immunology
- Vol. 171 (1), 37-46
- https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.171.1.37
Abstract
During pregnancy in mice, uterine natural killer (uNK) cells abundantly accumulate on the mesometrial side of the placenta. In this study, we show that the presence of both mature and immature uNK cells requires IL-15. Bone marrow transplantation of NK cell-negative mice due to null mutations in the recombination-activating gene (Rag) 2/common cytokine receptor gamma-chain (Rag2(-/-)gamma(c)(-/-)) genes indicated that uNK cells originate from the bone marrow and require IL-15 to develop. NK cells are thought to be central players in the immune response to intracellular pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that also has a predilection for replication in the placenta. However, IL-15(-/-), NK cell-deficient mice were relatively protected from this infection compared with wild-type mice, and during pregnancy the absence of NK cells did not compromise the immune response at this site. The loss of uNK cells results in decidual abnormalities, including thickening of the arterial walls with luminal narrowing and a hypocellular decidua basalis. These defects were rescued by bone marrow transplantation of the Rag2(-/-)gamma(c)(-/-) mice that restored the uNK cell population. The decidual abnormalities in the IL-15(-/-) mice however did not result in infertility as gestation times and litter sizes were comparable to those of wild-type mice. Fetal weights were mildly compromised, consistent with the arterial pathologies. These results show that uNK cells are not required for successful pregnancy and that NK cells are not essential for an adequate immune response to L. monocytogenes in either pregnant or nonpregnant mice.Keywords
This publication has 46 references indexed in Scilit:
- Interleukin 2 Receptor Gamma Chain (γc) Knockout Mice Show Less Regularity in Estrous Cycle but Achieve Normal Pregnancy Without Fetal CompromiseAmerican Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 2002
- THE MULTIFACETED REGULATION OF INTERLEUKIN-15 EXPRESSION AND THE ROLE OF THIS CYTOKINE IN NK CELL DIFFERENTIATION AND HOST RESPONSE TO INTRACELLULAR PATHOGENSAnnual Review of Immunology, 1999
- Interleukin-4 and listeriosisImmunological Reviews, 1997
- Absence of Natural Killer Cells during Murine Pregnancy is Associated with Reproductive Compromise in TgE26 Mice1Biology of Reproduction, 1997
- Macrophages, NK cells and neutrophils in the cytokine loop of Listeria resistanceResearch in Immunology, 1996
- Bidirectional cytokine interactions in the maternal-fetal relationship: is successful pregnancy a TH2 phenomenon?Immunology Today, 1993
- Immunity to Intracellular BacteriaAnnual Review of Immunology, 1993
- A pregnancy defect in the osteopetrotic (opop) mouse demonstrates the requirement for CSF-1 in female fertilityDevelopmental Biology, 1991
- Granulated Metrial Gland Cells-Interesting Cells Found in the Pregnant UterusAmerican Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 1990
- Rat granulated metrial gland cells differentiate in pregnant chimeric mice and may be cytotoxic for mouse trophoblastCell Differentiation and Development, 1989