Effect of TIM-3 Blockade on the Immunophenotype and Cytokine Profile of Murine Uterine NK Cells.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 25897749.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0123439 and PMC identifier 4405344.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
NK cells are the most abundant lymphocyte population in the feto-maternal interface during gestation. The uterine NK cells (uNK) are transient, have a unique immunophenotype and produce a number of cytokines. These cytokines play an important role in establishment and maintenance of vascular remodeling and tolerance associated with successful pregnancy. The uNK cells also express TIM-3 during gestation and blockade of TIM-3 expression results in fetal loss in mice. In this study we determined the effect of TIM-3 blockade on uNK cells. Specifically we observed surface receptor phenotype and cytokine production by uNK cells following TIM-3 blockade. Our results show that TIM-3 plays a role in regulating the uNK cells and contributes to the maintenance of tolerance at the feto-maternal interface.
Medical subject headings
- Receptors, Virus
- Uterus