Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Greta Barbaro, Annalisa Inversetti, Martina Cristodoro, Carlo Ticconi, Giovanni Scambia, Nicoletta Di Simone
Summary: Placentation is a process where maternal immune cells and trophoblastic cells interact to achieve immune balance. HLA-G, expressed on trophoblastic cells, plays a crucial role in modulating maternal immune response. Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), affecting 5% of pregnant women, with 40-60% cases unexplained, shares immunological similarities with allograft rejection. This review aims to explain how alterations in the HLA-G pathway disrupt immune balance and increase the risk of RPL.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Bai-Mei Zhuang, Dan-Dan Cao, Xiao-Feng Liu, Li Wang, Xiao-Li Lin, Yong-Gang Duan, Cheuk-Lun Lee, Philip C. N. Chiu, William S. B. Yeung, Yuan-Qing Yao
Summary: The human placenta is a unique temporary organ with mysterious immune tolerance. The use of trophoblast organoids and CRISPR/Cas9 technology has advanced the understanding of placental development and the role of HLA-G in trophoblast function and differentiation.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Caroline E. Dunk, Matthew Bucher, Jianhong Zhang, Heyam Hayder, Daniel E. Geraghty, Stephen J. Lye, Leslie Myatt, Rinat Hackmon
Summary: This study found that complications of pregnancy caused by immune inflammation, such as preeclampsia and preterm labor, can lead to altered expression profiles of nonclassical human leukocyte antigens. The level of human leukocyte antigen G increases in pregnancies complicated by severe early-onset preeclampsia with small-for-gestational-age neonates.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Maeva Wendremaire, Tatiana E. Lopez, Marina Barrichon, Hang Zhang, Tarik Hadi, Xiang-Yang Ye, Fabrice Neiers, Marc Bardou, Paul Sagot, Carmen Garrido, Frederic Lirussi
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of leptin on myometrial contraction and differentiation using a co-culture model of human primary macrophages and myocytes. The results showed that leptin had different effects on myocytes and macrophages depending on the dose, and a low concentration of leptin inhibits myocyte contraction, differentiation, and macrophage-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Leptin also increased the expression of HLA-G, suggesting its tocolytic effect may be driven by HLA-G.
Article
Developmental Biology
Carolyn J. P. Jones, John D. Aplin
Summary: Placental multinuclear giant cells are derived from trophoblastic elements, connected to extravillous cytotrophoblast cells, and formed as a terminal differentiation step during invasion stages, reducing the invasive population.
Article
Cell Biology
Ian O. Shum, Sylvia Merkert, Svitlana Malysheva, Kirsten Jahn, Nico Lachmann, Murielle Verboom, Helge Frieling, Michael Hallensleben, Ulrich Martin
Summary: Abnormalities during trophoblast development can lead to pregnancy-related complications, but the underlying mechanisms are established during the first trimester. Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) technology provides a renewable source of cells for studying these diseases. By optimizing the treatment protocol, we were able to generate trophoblast cells enriched for HLA-G(pos) EVT-like cells, which will aid in understanding placenta-related disorders and investigation of immune tolerance towards the fetus.
Review
Immunology
Zhi Lin, Jia-Lu Shi, Min Chen, Zi-Meng Zheng, Ming-Qing Li, Jun Shao
Summary: C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL2), also known as monocytic chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), is an important chemotactic factor that recruits macrophages for immune response. It is expressed at the maternal-fetal interface and has physiological regulators that maintain normal immune cell recruitment, tissue remodeling, and angiogenesis. However, abnormal levels of CCL2 have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. This review focuses on CCL2 expression, regulatory mechanisms, and signaling pathways at the maternal-fetal interface to provide a comprehensive understanding of CCL2 in pregnancy.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Christoph Schultheiss, Edith Willscher, Lisa Paschold, Cornelia Gottschick, Bianca Klee, Lidia Bosurgi, Jochen Dutzmann, Daniel Sedding, Thomas Frese, Matthias Girndt, Jessica I. Hoell, Michael Gekle, Rafael Mikolajczyk, Mascha Binder
Summary: Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) are long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection that significantly impact life quality. This study reveals pronounced dysregulation in immune factors and persistence of viral protein in individuals with PASC, highlighting its biological heterogeneity. Further correlation with clinically defined PASC subtypes is needed.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Serena Martire, Francesca Montarolo, Michela Spadaro, Simona Perga, Maria Ludovica Sforza, Luca Marozio, Federica Frezet, Stefania Bruno, Giulia Chiabotto, Maria Chiara Deregibus, Giovanni Camussi, Giovanni Botta, Chiara Benedetto, Antonio Bertolotto
Summary: This study provides the first phenotypic and functional characterization of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from placental cells of women with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), showing their immunomodulatory potential in reducing inflammation and T cell proliferation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Obstetrics & Gynecology
E. R. Barrozo, K. M. Aagaard
Summary: Single-cell technologies have the potential to enhance the understanding of the functional importance of low biomass microbial communities in placental immuno-microenvironments, aiding in addressing key questions in immune ontogeny.
BJOG-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Victoria Male, Ashley Moffett
Summary: The presence of granulated lymphocytes known as uNK cells in the human uterine mucosa was first noted in the nineteenth century, but they were identified as a type of NK cell in 1990. Uterine NK cells have been found to be less cytotoxic than their peripheral counterparts. Recent research has identified three subpopulations of uNK cells that cluster separately from peripheral NK cells. This review examines the history of uNK cell research, their interactions with placental cells, their role in placental implantation, and their potential for defending against infection and mediating memory effects.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Sylvain Raimbault, Guillaume Monneret, Morgane Gossez, Fabienne Venet, Alexandre Belot, Franck Zekre, Solene Remy, Etienne Javouhey
Summary: In this study, the researchers examined the use of monocyte human leucocyte antigen (mHLA)-DR as a potential diagnostic marker for secondary HLH (sHLH). They found that levels of mHLA-DR were significantly higher in patients with sHLH compared to healthy children and those with septic shock. Additionally, mHLA-DR levels decreased after treatment initiation. The findings suggest that elevated mHLA-DR could aid in the diagnosis of sHLH and distinguish it from septic shock.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Haochun Guo, Ran Yu, Haijun Zhang, Wanpeng Wang
Summary: Radiation therapy is an effective treatment for thoracic malignancies, but it can cause radiation-induced lung injury (RILI), including radiation pneumonitis (RP) and radiation pulmonary fibrosis (RPF). The damage to normal lung cells during radiation treatment leads to a pulmonary inflammatory response, resulting in RP and RPF.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Lobke M. Gierman, Gabriela B. Silva, Zahra Pervaiz, Johanne J. Rakner, Siv B. Mundal, Astrid J. Thaning, Ingunn Nervik, Mattijs Elschot, Seema Mathew, Liv Cecilie V. Thomsen, Line Bjorge, Ann-Charlotte Iversen
Summary: In preeclampsia, the placental intravillous TLR3 expression is significantly increased, while no significant increase is observed in the decidua. The functionality of TLR3 was confirmed in both the decidua and placenta, but the expression levels did not correlate between the two sites.
JOURNAL OF LEUKOCYTE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sandra Lara, Srinivas Akula, Zhirong Fu, Anna-Karin Olsson, Sandra Kleinau, Lars Hellman
Summary: Monocytes, a unique population distinct from most tissue macrophages, primarily originate from adult bone marrow along with intestinal macrophages. They respond rapidly to LPS stimulation by producing high amounts of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. These findings strongly support the role of monocytes as potent mobile sensors of infection and activators of a strong inflammatory response.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)