engleski

Syngeneic pregnancy induces overexpression of NKT cells in maternal liver

Conditions such as stress, infection, autoimmune disease, and etc. elevate the number and function of extrathymic T cells, which are generated mainly in the liver. As primitive, self-reactive clones of T cells that co-express receptors of the NK lineage, they mediate cytotoxicity against altered self, malignant, and infected cells and have the unique potential to rapidly secrete large amount of TH1 or TH2 cytokines. To elucidate if some of these changes occur even during the syngeneic pregnancy, we made phenotypic and functional characterization of mononuclear lymphatic cells (MNLC) isolated from the liver and spleen of pregnant C57BL/6 mice, testing their cytotoxicity against syngeneic thymocytes, as well as against NK and LAK sensitive targets. The data have shown that on the 16th day of syngeneic pregnancy in the liver accumulated TCRint, NK1.1+, IL-2R&#61538 ; ; ; + cells, while in the spleen increased the quantities of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and total number classical NK (NK1.1+ CD3- or IL-2R&#61538 ; ; ; + CD3-) cells. Pregnancy-activated hepatic and splenic MNLC were more cytotoxic against syngeneic thymocytes, YAC-1 and P815 targets, suggesting that the maternal liver is a main producer of autoreactive NKT clones, which subsequently augment NK and LAK- cells mediated cytotoxicity in the liver and spleen.

NK cells; NK1.1.; intermediate TCR cells; cytotoxicity to YAC-1; liver and spleen

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