Naslov
Viral infection of the ovaries compromises pregnancy and reveals innate immune mechanisms protecting fertility

Autori
Tomac, Jelena ; Mazor, Marija ; Lisnić, Berislav ; Golemac, Mijo ; Kveštak, Daria ; Bralić, Marina ; Bilić Zulle, Lidija ; Brinkmann, Melanie M. ; Dölken, Lars ; Reinert, Line S. ; Paludan, Soren R. ; Krmpotić, Astrid ; Jonjić, Stipan ; Juranić Lisnić, Vanda

Izvornik
Immunity (1074-7613) 54 (2021), 7; 1478-1493e6

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
CMV ; NK cells ; corpus luteum ; cytomegalovirus ; fertility ; follicles ; innate immunity ; interferon ; macrophages ; pregnancy loss ; virus

Sažetak
Viral infections during pregnancy are a considerable cause of adverse outcomes and birth defects, and the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Among those, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection stands out as the most common intrauterine infection in humans, putatively causing early pregnancy loss. We employed murine CMV as a model to study the consequences of viral infection on pregnancy outcome and fertility maintenance. Even though pregnant mice successfully controlled CMV infection, we observed highly selective, strong infection of corpus luteum (CL) cells in their ovaries. High infection densities indicated complete failure of immune control in CL cells, resulting in progesterone insufficiency and pregnancy loss. An abundance of gap junctions, absence of vasculature, strong type I interferon (IFN) responses, and interaction of innate immune cells fully protected the ovarian follicles from viral infection. Our work provides fundamental insights into the effect of CMV infection on pregnancy loss and mechanisms protecting fertility

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Temeljne medicinske znanosti

POVEZANOST RADA