Existence of suppressor cells in the spleen of allogeneic and syngeneic primiparous pregnant mice

Constitutive intracellular expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DO and HLA-DR but not HLA-DM in trophoblast cells

The nonclassic human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DM molecules have been proved to positively regulate antigen presentation in classic antigen-presenting cells, whereas in B lymphocytes HLA-DO have been identified as negative regulators of the process. The present report examines whether the negative expression of classic class II molecules in trophoblasts implies negative regulation by HLA-DO. It was revealed by immunofluorescence, confocal microscopy, and subcellular fractionation techniques that human trophoblasts, although not expressing any surface HLA-DR antigens, constitutively express intracellular HLA-DR, HLA-DO, and CD74, but not HLA-DM. Administration of interferon-gamma to the cell culture increased HLA-DR and CD74, induced HLA-DM, but did not alter the expression of HLA-DO and induced HLA-DR release from the cells. These results were confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis except that HLA-DM mRNA was detected in control cells, indicating a posttranscriptional regulation. Under the same experimental conditions, human monocytes/macrophages were not expressing intracellular HLA-DO while exhibiting significant levels of HLA-DR, HLA-DM, and CD74. The results presented here reveal for the first time expression of HLA-DO in trophoblasts, which can be of great importance in maintaining the class II-negative state in these cells and consequently protecting the fetus from maternal immune attack.

Extrathymic development of V alpha 11 T cells in placenta during pregnancy and their possible physiological role

The molecular and cellular mechanisms of the feto-maternal immune responses in the placenta in connection with natural abortion remain unclear. In this report we provide evidence that V(alpha11) T cells developed in the placenta may be responsible for the induction of natural abortion. The majority of V(alpha11) TCRs detected during pregnancy showed a consensus motif in the CDR3 region, similar to that of anti-GM3 TCR clones, and were of maternal origin. V(alpha11) TCRs were found in the middle to late stages of gestation due to de novo generation in the placenta, not to migration from the maternal side, as evidenced by the significant increases in the out-of-frame V(alpha11) TCR mRNA and the copy number of circular DNA generated by V(alpha11) gene rearrangements. Furthermore, administration of anti-V(alpha11) Ab to pregnant mice resulted in a significant decrease in the incidence of fetal demise, suggesting that V(alpha11) T cells detected in the placenta develop extrathymically and are involved in natural abortion.

Placental tissue from human miscarriages expresses class II HLA-DR antigens

PROBLEM

Class II major histocompatibility antigens occupy a central role in the development of humoral or cellular immunologic responses. Surprisingly, in the maternal-fetal interphase, where two genetically different organisms come in direct contact, these antigens are absent. Based on previous studies in mice we have demonstrated that the absence of class II antigens represents another mechanism of fetal protection from the maternal immune response and, furthermore, that the induction of these antigens in the placenta makes the tissue immunogenic and susceptible to maternal immune attack, leading thus to fetal abortion. In order to test this hypothesis in humans, we analyzed the presence of class II antigens in aborted placentae.

METHOD

Class II expression on aborted placentae was examined by immunoperoxidase staining on frozen sections. We also studied hematologic changes that accompany such events, measuring white and red blood cell counts, hematocrit, hemoglobin, as well as IgG serum levels by standard techniques.

RESULTS

The detection of class II antigens on the aborted tissue indicates that these antigens are indeed major components of a pathway, which leads to a plethora of abnormal phenomena for the maternal organism such as low hematocrit levels, elevated IgG production, and increase of white blood cell numbers.

CONCLUSION

The results presented are consistent with our previous observations in mice and point to novel directions not only to pregnancy failure diagnosis, but also to new therapeutic approaches.

Placenta-specific growth factor production by splenic cells during pregnancy

Within the last 5 years strong evidence has correlated the successful outcome of pregnancy with various cytokines, which interfere with sperm mobility, fertilization, implantation, trophoblast outgrowth, as well as maternal immunoregulation. The newly arising antigens on the extra-embryonic membranes initiate many mechanisms protective to the fetus and not harmful to the mother, one of which is novel protein synthesis. These events are apparent in many different sites of the maternal organism including the decidual cap, uterine walls, draining lymph nodes, spleen etc. Working on a murine model, in the present study we concentrated on the growth factor production by spleen cells isolated from syngeneically pregnant mice on the 11th day of gestation. Focusing our interest on the proteins that have a stimulatory effect on placental cells, we fractionated 24 h spleen cell supernatants through a G-25 Sephadex followed by a Heparin-Sepharose affinity column and isolated pregnancy specific growth factors capable of inducing placental cell proliferation. In this study we focused on three growth factors, interleukin-3 (IL-3), granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1), which have been previously shown to play an important role in placental growth. CSF-1 and IL-3 were detected in single Heparin-Sepharose fractions, whereas GM-CSF was found dispersed in essentially three fractions. Although we were able to detect these three growth factors in specific affinity column fractions, other proteins, which we have not yet characterized, showed significant biologic activity. Such biologic activity could not be detected from non-pregnant spleen cell supernatants similarly fractionated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Immunological changes during pregnancy in the viviparous lizard, Chalcides ocellatus

Splenic cells from pregnant and non-pregnant viviparous lizards (Chalcides ocellatus) were stimulated in vitro with the mitogens, concanavalin A (Con A), phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Cell cultures from pregnant animals were significantly less responsive to Con A and PHA than comparable cultures from non-pregnant animals. The response was depressed during the first period of pregnancy and remained low in magnitude until parturition. By contrast, the response of maternal splenic cells to LPS was reduced in pregnant lizards only during advanced pregnancy. The drastic decrease in mitogenic responsiveness was associated with marked involution of the maternal spleen. These findings strongly suggest that pregnancy impairs the immunoreactivity of viviparous lizards. Possible mechanisms for this impairment and the relationship to circulating levels of sex hormones are discussed.

Induction of class II MHC antigen expression on the murine placenta by 5-azacytidine correlates with fetal abortion

During the gestational cycle the placental tissue does not express class II MHC antigens and whether this phenomenon is important to fetal survival has not yet been evoked. It has been reported that class II antigen expression precedes renal and cardiac graft rejection, which may also be the case in fetal abortion. In a recent report we showed that placental cells can be induced to express class II antigens in vitro and that these cells undergo different regulatory mechanisms depending on their anatomical position in the placenta. Thus, spongiotrophoblast-derived cells express these antigens after interferon-gamma treatment, whereas labyrinthine trophoblast-derived cells are induced by 5-azacytidine. In the present study we examined the effect of 5-azacytidine on class II antigen expression in the placenta and fetal abortion in vivo. We report that 5-azacytidine, when given to pregnant females before the ectoplacental cone formation, dramatically increases fetal loss, which correlates with class II antigen expression in the labyrinthine trophoblast zone. No site effects of 5-azacytidine on placental cell proliferation, splenic T and B cell responses, or reproductive capability of treated females were observed. However, after treatment with 5-azacytidine placental cells can stimulate maternal spleen cells to proliferate in a mixed cell reaction, whereas untreated controls cannot. Furthermore, the abortive effect of 5-azacytidine can be rescued in allogeneic pregnancy by anti-paternal class II monoclonal antibody injection into the animals during the 5-azacytidine treatment. These results suggest that the maintenance of the class II antigen-negative expression on the placenta is indeed necessary to avoid maternal immune attack and ensure fetal survival.

Altered immune response patterns in murine syngeneic pregnancy: presence of natural null suppressor cells in maternal spleen identifiable by monoclonal antibodies

Expression of certain autologous lymphocyte-activating antigenic determinants on the developing embryo is known to provide a stimulus for maternal anti-fetal autoproliferative responses. If left unregulated these responses could exert negative influences on the reproductive process by converting to autoaggressive forms of immune reactivity. In normal circumstances, immunological reactions of this nature are therefore likely to be under the control of pregnancy-associated immunoregulatory elements found within the maternal/fetal environment. In the present investigation we describe a naturally occurring splenic inhibitory cell type devoid of conventional T, B, and macrophage surface markers associated with syngeneic murine pregnancy that is capable of exerting potent immunosuppressive effects on an in vitro expression of fetal/newborn T cell autoreactivity, namely the autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR). Maternal spleen cells inhibitory for AMLR were found to be highly resistant to cytotoxic pretreatment with a panel of conventional antisera directed against T cell-specific antigenic determinants. The non-T nature of the natural splenic suppressor cell was further indicated by experiments showing that purified spleen T cells had no inhibitory activity. Pregnancy spleen cell populations that were effectively depleted of macrophages retained full ability to inhibit AMLR. Maternal suppressor activity could be localized to the spleen cell population bearing receptors for the B cell-specific lectin, soybean agglutinin (SBA). A panel of monoclonal antibodies prepared against enriched populations of suppressor cells was screened and selected for specific reactivity using an ELISA against glutaraldehyde-fixed SBA+ spleen cell subpopulations from pregnant versus virgin animals. Several of the monoclonals developed against suppressor-enriched spleen cell populations from isopregnant as well as allopregnant animals were effective in reducing or eliminating suppressor cell activity following cytotoxic pretreatment in the presence of complement. The novel set of anti-suppressor monoclonal antibodies described here should prove useful in furthering the isolation and characterization of pregnancy-associated suppressor cells and in determining their relationship to natural suppressor cell populations described in other systems.

Enhanced resistance against Listeria monocytogenes at an early phase of primary infection in pregnant mice: activation of macrophages during pregnancy

We investigated the pregnancy-induced changes in macrophage activity which are important in the expression of host defense against infections. Several macrophage functions were examined by using Listeria monocytogenes. In pregnant mice, prolonged survival and enhanced in vivo elimination of bacteria were observed in the early phase of primary infection. Functions of peritoneal macrophages, including in vitro phagocytosis intracellular killing, glucose consumption, generation of superoxide anion, and intracellular beta-glucuronidase activity were shown to be enhanced in pregnant mice. These findings indicate that pregnancy enhances macrophage functions qualitatively. Possible mechanisms for this enhancement and the significance of macrophage activation for pregnant hosts are discussed.

Impairment of T cell-mediated immunity to Listeria monocytogenes in pregnant mice

In order to study pregnancy-induced changes in cell-mediated immunity to Listeria monocytogenes, acquired resistance and T cell functions in pregnant mice were compared with those in nonpregnant mice after immunization with viable listerial cells. Impaired generation of acquired resistance was evident in pregnant mice from the impaired elimination of bacteria and poor survival after secondary challenge. Delayed footpad reactivity to listerial antigen was also lower in the pregnant mice. When immune spleen cells were examined for their ability to produce macrophage activating factor in vitro, culture supernatants from pregnant-mouse spleen cells with listerial antigen showed far less ability to render macrophages cytostatic for P815 mastocytoma cells. To elucidate further the impairment of listeria-immune T cell generation in pregnant mice, a local transfer experiment was carried out. When a given number of immune spleen cells was transferred locally into the footpads of naive mice, both delayed footpad reaction and local protection were much lower in the pregnant mice. This local transferability of the reactions was abrogated after treatment of cells with anti-Thy 1 antibody plus complement. These findings indicate that pregnancy impairs the generation of specific T cells capable of contributing to acquired resistance to L. monocytogenes. Possible mechanisms for this impairment and the relationship to macrophage functions are discussed.

Immune reactivity of allogeneically pregnant mice to paternal MHC antigens on fetal and placental cells assessed by second set rejection of ascites tumor cells

In vivo immunogenicity of fetus- and placenta-derived cells as well as the immune reactivity of pregnant mice to fetal cells were examined for graft rejecting response (GRR). Systemic administration of small numbers of fetal cells but not placental cells from allogeneically pregnant mice (10(6) cells per mouse) or adult allogeneic spleen cells (10(4) cells) sensitized mice for second-set rejection of an ascitic tumor bearing paternal major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens. Despite this fact and the known positive humoral response, pregnant and parous mice are not even minimally sensitized with fetal MHC antigens for GRR transplacentally. Nevertheless, any pregnancy-related systemically active control, which would selectively prevent the mother from being sensitized for GRR by limiting numbers of semi-allogeneic fetal cells, was not demonstrable in either allogeneically or syngeneically pregnant mice. Irrespective of pregnancy, mice did not, however, respond to repeated administration of very small numbers of allogeneic spleen cells (5 X 10(2) cells per mouse) for graft rejection. These findings support the notion that deviation of maternal immunity to fetal antigens away from harmful GRR is mediated principally by local mechanisms which inhibit fetal cells from gaining access to the mother for GRR, and additionally by the innate inability of mice to respond to very small numbers of allogeneic cells that might escape past the local maternal-fetal barrier.

Altered mitogen- and alloantigen-induced lymphoproliferative responses in primary lymphoid organs of pregnant mice

The effect of syngeneic murine pregnancy on the response of lymphocytes from the primary lymphoid organs to mitogenic and alloantigenic stimulation was investigated. Thymocytes and bone marrow cells from gravid animals were found to exhibit elevated reactivity to T cell mitogens and allogeneic stimulator cells. In contrast, the LPS response of bone marrow cells from pregnant mice did not differ significantly from that of virgin animals. These findings indicate that the immune reactivity of T cells derived from the primary lymphoid organs is altered during syngeneic murine pregnancy. Pregnancy-induced modifications in T lymphocyte reactivity may contribute to the ability of the maternal immune system to recognize and react against fetal antigens.