Department of Clinical Genetics, the Huai'an Maternity and Child Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, China.
Reproductive Sciences Institute, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
Front Immunol. 2021 May 12;12:663660. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.663660. eCollection 2021.
Decidual natural killer (dNK) cells are the tissue-resident and major subpopulation of NK cells at the maternal-fetal interface. It has been demonstrated that dNK cells play pivotal roles in pregnancy, including keeping maternal-fetal immune tolerance, promoting extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cell invasion, and driving uterine spiral artery remodeling. However, the molecular mechanisms haven't been elucidated until recent years. In this review, we systemically introduce the generation, subsets, and surface or soluble molecules of dNK cells, which are critical for maintaining the functions of dNK cells. Further, new functions of dNK cells including well-controlled cytotoxicity, immunosurveillance and immunotrophism supporting the cell-cell interaction between dNK cells and EVT cells are mainly focused. The molecular mechanisms involved in these functions are also illustrated. Moreover, pregnancy-associated diseases caused by the dNK cells abnormalities are discussed. It will be important for future investigations about the mechanism of maintenance of pregnancy and parturition and potential clinical applications of dNK cells.
蜕膜自然杀伤 (dNK) 细胞是母胎界面组织驻留的和主要的 NK 细胞亚群。已经证明 dNK 细胞在妊娠中发挥关键作用，包括维持母胎免疫耐受、促进绒毛外滋养层 (EVT) 细胞浸润和驱动子宫螺旋动脉重塑。然而，直到最近几年，其分子机制才被阐明。在这篇综述中，我们系统地介绍了 dNK 细胞的产生、亚群以及表面或可溶性分子，这些对于维持 dNK 细胞的功能至关重要。此外，dNK 细胞的新功能，包括控制良好的细胞毒性、免疫监视和免疫营养支持 dNK 细胞与 EVT 细胞之间的细胞-细胞相互作用，是主要关注的焦点。还说明了涉及这些功能的分子机制。此外，还讨论了由 dNK 细胞异常引起的妊娠相关疾病。这对于研究妊娠和分娩的维持机制以及 dNK 细胞的潜在临床应用将是重要的。
