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Hughes GC, Clark EA, Wong AH. The intracellular progesterone receptor regulates CD4+ T cells and T cell-dependent antibody responses. J Leukoc Biol 2013; 93:369-75. [PMID: 23307939 DOI: 10.1189/jlb.1012491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Pg has distinct immunomodulatory properties involved in poorly understood immune phenomena, including maternal tolerance of the fetus, increased risk of certain infections during pregnancy or after Pg birth control, and pregnancy-associated remission of autoimmune disease. Several potential mechanisms have been identified, including alteration of Th1 and Treg activity, but the precise cellular and molecular targets of Pg immunomodulation in vivo remain obscure, partly because Pg can signal through several different receptor types. One such receptor, the iPR, encoded by the pgr gene, is essential for reproduction in female mice and is expressed in the thymus and CD4(+) T cells. We hypothesized that iPR regulates CD4(+) T cell activity and adaptive immune responses in vivo. With the use of iPR KO mice, we demonstrate that iPR specifically suppresses TD antibody responses, primarily by dampening CD4(+) Teff activity, likely via transcriptional repression of the IFN-γ gene and modulation of other programs regulating CD4(+) T cells. Our results highlight a novel mechanism linking the endocrine and immune systems, and they offer insight into important but poorly understood phenomena in women's health and autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant C Hughes
- Dept. of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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102
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Teles A, Zenclussen AC, Schumacher A. Regulatory T cells are baby's best friends. Am J Reprod Immunol 2013; 69:331-9. [PMID: 23289369 DOI: 10.1111/aji.12067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2012] [Accepted: 12/05/2012] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Treg) are one of the most and best studied immune cell population during human and murine pregnancy, and there is a general consent about their expansion during pregnancy. However, the identification of new and more reliable Treg markers during the last years resulted in some controversies about the kinetics of various Treg subsets at different pregnancy stages. No doubt exists regarding the importance of Treg for a normal pregnancy as pregnancy complications like spontaneous abortion and preeclampsia could be associated with a reduced Treg number and activity. In future, more attention should be paid to bring established data from the bench to the bedside to force the development of adequate therapies for treatment of pregnancy complications. In this article, we summarize previous and recent data on several aspects of Treg biology during human and murine pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Teles
- Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
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103
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The importance of the nurse cells and regulatory cells in the control of T lymphocyte responses. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2012; 2013:352414. [PMID: 23509712 PMCID: PMC3591132 DOI: 10.1155/2013/352414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2012] [Accepted: 10/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
T lymphocytes from the immune system are bone marrow-derived cells whose development and activities are carefully supervised by two sets of accessory cells. In the thymus, the immature young T lymphocytes are engulfed by epithelial “nurse cells” and retained in vacuoles, where most of them (95%) are negatively selected and removed when they have an incomplete development or express high affinity autoreactive receptors. The mature T lymphocytes that survive to this selection process leave the thymus and are controlled in the periphery by another subpopulation of accessory cells called “regulatory cells,” which reduce any excessive immune response and the risk of collateral injuries to healthy tissues. By different times and procedures, nurse cells and regulatory cells control both the development and the functions of T lymphocyte subpopulations. Disorders in the T lymphocytes development and migration have been observed in some parasitic diseases, which disrupt the thymic microenvironment of nurse cells. In other cases, parasites stimulate rather than depress the functions of regulatory T cells decreasing T-mediated host damages. This paper is a short review regarding some features of these accessory cells and their main interactions with T immature and mature lymphocytes. The modulatory role that neurotransmitters and hormones play in these interactions is also revised.
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104
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Maeda Y, Ohtsuka H, Tomioka M, Oikawa M. Effect of progesterone on Th1/Th2/Th17 and regulatory T cell-related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells during pregnancy in cows. Vet Res Commun 2012. [PMID: 23203561 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-012-9545-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
T helper (Th) cells play a central role in immune responses and new Th1/Th2/Th17 and regulatory T (Treg)-cell paradigm in pregnancy has developed. Progesterone (P(4)) is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy; however the effect of P(4) on Th1/Th2/Th17 and Treg paradigm is unclear in cows. We evaluated the effect of P(4) on the expression of Th1/Th2/Th17 and Treg-related cytokines, transcription factors, and P(4) receptors in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 8 pregnant (163.1 ± 16.9 days of gestation) and 8 non-pregnant luteal phase cows. PBMCs were stimulated with P(4) at 0, 0.1, 1 or 10 μg/ml, and the mRNA expression of Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg-related cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-17 and TGF-β), transcription factors (T-bet, GATA-3, RORC and Foxp3) and P(4) receptors (PGR, PGRMC1 and PGRMC2) were analyzed by real time RT-PCR. In both pregnant and non-pregnant cows, P(4) significantly inhibited the expression of IFN-γ and IL-17 dose-dependently, whereas P(4) did not affect the expression of TGF-β and Foxp3. In addition, P(4) significantly decreased the expression of T-bet and RORC, and enhanced the expression of IL-4 in the pregnant cows, but this reaction was not found in the non-pregnant cows. P(4) tended to increase PGRMC1 in the pregnant cows but not in the non-pregnant cows, indicating that PGRMC1 may be involved in the regulation of the effect of P(4) during bovine pregnancy. These results indicate that P(4) is an important regulator of Th1/Th2/Th17 and Treg immunity, and higher Th2 immunity is characteristic in the pregnant cows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousuke Maeda
- Laboratory of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, 35-1 Higashi 23 bancho, Towada, Aomori, 034-8628, Japan
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105
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Lee JH, Lydon JP, Kim CH. Progesterone suppresses the mTOR pathway and promotes generation of induced regulatory T cells with increased stability. Eur J Immunol 2012; 42:2683-96. [PMID: 22740122 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201142317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2011] [Revised: 05/11/2012] [Accepted: 06/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
While induced FoxP3(+) T cells (iTreg cells) are promising cellular therapeutics to treat inflammatory diseases, a limitation in utilizing iTreg cells prepared in vitro is their low stability in inflammatory conditions. Progesterone (P4) is an immune regulatory nuclear hormone with a potent Treg induction activity. We reasoned that this function of progesterone would be utilized to generate iTreg cells with highly suppressive activity and improved stability in vivo. Here we generated iTreg cells with progesterone in vitro and found that progesterone generates iTreg cells that are highly stable in inflammatory conditions. Moreover, P4-induced iTreg cells highly express latency-associated peptide TGF-β1 and are efficient in regulating inflammation in multiple tissues, whereas control iTreg cells induced with TGF-β1 alone are less stable and ineffective in suppressing inflammation. The function of progesterone in inducing iTreg cells with improved regulatory activity is associated with the function of P4 in suppressing the mTOR pathway. Moreover, the function of progesterone in inducing FoxP3(+) T cells is decreased but not completely abolished on nuclear progesterone receptor-deficient T cells, suggesting that both nuclear and nonnuclear progesterone receptors are involved in mediating the function. We conclude that P4 can be utilized to generate iTreg cells with a high therapeutic potential in treatment of tissue inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jee H Lee
- Laboratory of Immunology and Hematopoiesis, Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue Cancer Center, Bindley Bioscience Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
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106
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Robinson DP, Klein SL. Pregnancy and pregnancy-associated hormones alter immune responses and disease pathogenesis. Horm Behav 2012; 62:263-71. [PMID: 22406114 PMCID: PMC3376705 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 429] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2011] [Revised: 02/20/2012] [Accepted: 02/22/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
During pregnancy, it is evolutionarily advantageous for inflammatory immune responses that might lead to fetal rejection to be reduced and anti-inflammatory responses that promote transfer of maternal antibodies to the fetus to be increased. Hormones modulate the immunological shift that occurs during pregnancy. Estrogens, including estradiol and estriol, progesterone, and glucocorticoids increase over the course of pregnancy and affect transcriptional signaling of inflammatory immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface and systemically. During pregnancy, the reduced activity of natural killer cells, inflammatory macrophages, and helper T cell type 1 (Th1) cells and production of inflammatory cytokines, combined with the higher activity of regulatory T cells and production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, affects disease pathogenesis. The severity of diseases caused by inflammatory responses (e.g., multiple sclerosis) is reduced and the severity of diseases that are mitigated by inflammatory responses (e.g., influenza and malaria) is increased during pregnancy. For some infectious diseases, elevated inflammatory responses that are necessary to control and clear a pathogen have a negative consequence on the outcome of pregnancy. The bidirectional interactions between hormones and the immune system contribute to both the outcome of pregnancy and female susceptibility to disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dionne P. Robinson
- The W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Sabra L. Klein
- The W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
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107
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Schober L, Radnai D, Schmitt E, Mahnke K, Sohn C, Steinborn A. Term and preterm labor: decreased suppressive activity and changes in composition of the regulatory T-cell pool. Immunol Cell Biol 2012; 90:935-44. [PMID: 22751216 DOI: 10.1038/icb.2012.33] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) exert a key role in tolerance induction to the semi-allogeneic fetus. Currently, it is not known whether immunological rejection processes are involved in the induction of normal term or irresistible preterm labor. In this study, we examined whether there were differences in the percentage of the total CD4(+)CD127(low+/-)CD25(+)FoxP3(+)-Treg-cell pool, its suppressive activity and its composition with distinct Treg subsets (HLA-DR(low+)-, HLA-DR(high+)-, HLA-DR(-)- and naive CD45RA(+)-Tregs) between preterm and term laboring women. We found that its percentage was decreased neither in term nor in preterm laboring women. Its suppressive activity was strongly diminished in preterm laboring women and to a lesser extent in spontaneously term laboring women. During the normal course of pregnancy, its composition changed in such a way that the percentage of naive CD45RA(+)-Tregs increased while the percentage of the highly suppressive HLA-DR(low+)- and HLA-DR(high+)-Tregs decreased significantly until term. With the onset of spontaneous term labor this phenomenon was reversed and reached significant values postpartum. In addition, we confirmed that both the decreased percentage of HLA-DR(+)-Tregs within the total Treg-cell pool and their decreased level of HLA-DR expression (depending on the percentage of HLA-DR(low+)- and HLA-DR(high+)-Tregs) had a reducing effect on the suppressive activity of the total Treg cell pool in preterm laboring women. However, spontaneous term delivery was associated with increasing percentages of HLA-DR(+)-Tregs and increasing HLA-DR expression of this Treg subset. Therefore, it becomes apparent that the mechanisms inducing term or preterm labor may be completely different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Schober
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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108
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Zhao X, Liu L, Liu D, Fan H, Wang Y, Hu Y, Hou Y. Progesterone enhances immunoregulatory activity of human mesenchymal stem cells via PGE2 and IL-6. Am J Reprod Immunol 2012; 68:290-300. [PMID: 22747921 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0897.2012.01163.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2012] [Accepted: 05/03/2012] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
PROBLEM Progesterone (P4) plays a central role in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. It also has profound effects on the regulation of immune responses. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are thought to have the ability to modulate immunocyte activation, are present in human endometrium and deciduas and highly express progesterone receptor (PR). Especially, during pregnancy, both P4 and MSCs are present and regulatively changed at the fetal-maternal interface, but the effect of P4 on the MSCs remains unknown. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of P4 on the immunomodulatory ability of MSCs and the underlying mechanisms. METHOD OF STUDY Mesenchymal stem cells were obtained from human umbilical cords. The effects of P4 on the cell morphology, phenotype, proliferation, apoptosis, and expression levels of cytokine and protein were examined. RESULTS Progesterone did not affect the phenotype, morphology, proliferation, and apoptosis of MSCs, but promoted the production of PGE2 and IL-6 in MSCs. Furthermore, the up-regulation of PGE2 and IL-6 was related to the activation of p38 and NF-κB. CONCLUSIONS Progesterone enhances immunomodulatory function of MSCs through up-regulation of PGE2 and IL-6. The data suggest that P4-regulated MSCs may play a crucial role in modulating the local immune balance of fetal-maternal interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyin Zhao
- Immunology and Reproductive Biology Lab, Medical School & State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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109
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Zhou J, Wang Z, Zhao X, Wang J, Sun H, Hu Y. An increase of Treg cells in the peripheral blood is associated with a better in vitro fertilization treatment outcome. Am J Reprod Immunol 2012; 68:100-6. [PMID: 22687138 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0897.2012.01153.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2012] [Accepted: 04/11/2012] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
PROBLEM The objective of this study was to determine whether there was any association between the peripheral blood CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Treg cells) and implantation success in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. METHOD OF STUDY Prospective observational study of 101 randomly selected women who underwent IVF treatment for tubal factor from May 2011 to June 2011. The percentage of peripheral blood Treg cells and the expression levels of Foxp3 and CTLA4 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were recorded and their relations to IVF treatment outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS Treg cells were significantly elevated in the pregnant group ( P = 0.03). The expression level of Foxp3 mRNA in PBMCs from pregnant group also significantly increased ( P = 0.02). A receiver operating characteristic analysis (area under curve = 0.631) found that those women with Treg cells >0.6%, the pregnancy rate and live birth rate were much higher as compared to women with Treg cells below this level ( P < 0.05). An increase of Treg cells in the peripheral blood was associated with a better IVF treatment outcome (OR 4.3, 95% CI = 1.76-10.48), with a sensitivity of 64%, specificity of 71%. CONCLUSION An elevated level of circulating Treg cells was associated with increased rates of pregnancy and live birth in IVF treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianjun Zhou
- Drum Tower Clinical Medical College, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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110
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Abstract
Males and females have the same immunological cells, proteins, and pathways in place to protect against the development of disease. The kinetics, magnitude, and skewing of the responses mounted against pathogens, allergens, toxins, or self-antigens, however, can differ dramatically between the sexes. Generally, females mount higher innate and adaptive immune responses than males, which can result in faster clearance of pathogens but also contributes to increased susceptibility to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in females compared with males. Hormonal and genetic factors contribute significantly to sex differences in immune function and disease pathogenesis. In particular, the expression of X-linked genes and microRNA as well as sex steroid hormones signaling through hormone receptors in immune cells can affect responses to immunological stimuli differently in males and females. Despite data illustrating profound differences between the sexes in immune function, sex differences in the pathogenesis of disease are often overlooked in biomedical research. Establishing journal policies that require authors to report the sex of their cells, animals, and subjects will improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of diseases, with the long-term goal of personalizing treatments for immune-mediated diseases differently for males and females in an effort to protect us equally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabra L Klein
- The W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
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111
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Bozorgmehr M, Zarnani AH, Nikoo S, Moazzeni SM. Suppressive effect of pregnant serum on murine dendritic cell function. J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2012; 38:797-803. [PMID: 22435462 DOI: 10.1111/j.1447-0756.2011.01803.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
AIM Tolerance to the semi-allogenic fetal graft by the maternal immune system is a medical enigma. Many aspects of immunoregulation at the feto-maternal interface have been clarified, but systemic effects of pregnancy on the immune system are still elusive. The present study was undertaken to determine whether mid-pregnancy mouse serum has an inhibitory effect on dendritic cells (DC) function. MATERIAL AND METHODS Mid-gestational sera were obtained from allogenic pregnant Balb/c mice (Balb/c × C57BL/6) on days 9-11 of gestation. Splenic DC were purified from Balb/c mice, and treated with mid-pregnancy mouse serum. Antigen pulsed DC were injected into mice palms. After 5 days, draining lymph nodes were removed, cultured in the presence of cognate antigen, and proliferation of responding cells was measured by (3)H-thymidin incorporation. Interleukin (IL)-10 and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production by stimulated lymph node antigen-specific cells was also measured in culture supernatants using sandwich ELISA. RESULTS Treatment of DC with pregnant mouse serum markedly blocked their ability to induce antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation and IFN-γ and IL-10 production by primed lymph node cells in comparison with non-pregnant serum-treated DC. CONCLUSION Pregnant mouse serum has an inhibitory effect on DC capacity to induce antigen-specific proliferation and cytokine secretion by lymph node cells. The suppressive effects of pregnant serum on DC could be considered as one of the mechanisms responsible for the systemic immunomodulation observed during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmood Bozorgmehr
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
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112
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Abstract
A new progesterone antagonist, ulipristal has been made available as an emergency contraceptive. Ulipristal’s major mechanism of action as an emergency contraceptive has been ascribed to its ability to delay ovulation beyond the life span of the sperm. This paper analyzes the potential action of ulipristal (1) when unprotected intercourse and administration of ulipristal occur outside the fertility window and (2) when unprotected intercourse and administration of ulipristal occur at or within 24 hours of ovulation. When unprotected intercourse and the use of a single low dose of ulipristal occur outside of the fertility window, ulipristal behaves like a placebo. When unprotected intercourse and the use of a single low dose of ulipristal occur within the fertility window but before ovulation, ulipristal behaves like an emergency contraceptive by delaying ovulation and thereby preventing fertilization. When unprotected intercourse and the administration of ulipristal occur at or within 24 hours of ovulation, then ulipristal has an abortifacient action. It is proposed that the abortifacient mechanism of a low dose of ulipristal taken after fertilization but before implantation is due to the ability of ulipristal to block the maternal innate immune system to become immunotolerant to the paternal allogenic embryo. Progesterone’s critical immunotolerant actions involving early pregnancy factor, progesterone-induced blocking factor, and uterine natural killer cells are compromised by ulipristal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph P Miech
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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113
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Progesterone interactions with the cervix: translational implications for term and preterm birth. Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol 2011; 2011:353297. [PMID: 22114461 PMCID: PMC3206389 DOI: 10.1155/2011/353297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2011] [Accepted: 08/29/2011] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The uterine cervix plays a vital role in maintaining pregnancy and an equally important role in allowing parturition to occur. Progesterone, either endogenously produced or supplied exogenously, supports the function of the cervix in sustaining intrauterine pregnancy, and the withdrawal of progesterone, either through natural processes or pharmacologic intervention, leads to delivery which underscores the importance of the progesterone's biological activities manifest in normal gestation and pregnancy that ends prematurely. Research crossing many scientific disciplines has demonstrated that progesterone is a pleotropic compound that affects the cervix through cytoplasmic and membrane receptors with profound effects on cellular and molecular functions that influence inflammatory cascades and extracellular matrix, both of which have consequences for parturition. Beyond the local cell and molecular biology of progesterone, it has systemic effects of relevance to pregnancy as well. This paper examines the biology of the cervix from its gross to cellular structure and biological activities of its cell and molecular processes that may be affected by progesterone. The implications of these processes for preterm birth are explored, and direction of current research is in relation to translational medicine implications for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches to threatened preterm birth.
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114
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Lee JH, Ulrich B, Cho J, Park J, Kim CH. Progesterone promotes differentiation of human cord blood fetal T cells into T regulatory cells but suppresses their differentiation into Th17 cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 187:1778-87. [PMID: 21768398 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1003919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Progesterone, a key female sex hormone with pleiotropic functions in maintenance of pregnancy, has profound effects on regulation of immune responses. We report in this work a novel function of progesterone in regulation of naive cord blood (CB) fetal T cell differentiation into key T regulatory cell (Treg) subsets. Progesterone drives allogeneic activation-induced differentiation of CB naive, but not adult peripheral blood, T cells into immune-suppressive Tregs, many of which express FoxP3. Compared with those induced in the absence of progesterone, the FoxP3(+) T cells induced in the presence of progesterone highly expressed memory T cell markers. In this regard, the Treg compartment in progesterone-rich CB is enriched with memory-type FoxP3(+) T cells. Moreover, CB APCs were more efficient than their peripheral blood counterparts in inducing FoxP3(+) T cells. Another related function of progesterone that we discovered was to suppress the differentiation of CB CD4(+) T cells into inflammation-associated Th17 cells. Progesterone enhanced activation of STAT5 in response to IL-2, whereas it decreased STAT3 activation in response to IL-6, which is in line with the selective activity of progesterone in generation of Tregs versus Th17 cells. Additionally, progesterone has a suppressive function on the expression of the IL-6 receptor by T cells. The results identified a novel role of progesterone in regulation of fetal T cell differentiation for promotion of immune tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jee H Lee
- Laboratory of Immunology and Hematopoiesis, Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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