Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States; Department of Obstetrics, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Hubei 430072, China.
Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States.
J Reprod Immunol. 2024 Jun;163:104244. doi: 10.1016/j.jri.2024.104244. Epub 2024 Mar 21.
Implantation and maintenance of pregnancy involve intricate immunological processes that enable the developing fetus to coexist with the maternal immune system. Progesterone, a critical hormone during pregnancy, is known to promote immune tolerance and prevent preterm labor. However, the mechanism by which progesterone mediates these effects remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of the non-classical progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1) in progesterone signaling at the maternal-fetal interface. Using JEG3 cells, a trophoblast model cell line, we observed that progesterone stimulation increased the expression of human leukocyte antigen-C (HLA-C) and HLA-G, key molecules involved in immune tolerance. We also found that progesterone upregulated the expression of the transcription factor ELF3, which is known to regulate trophoblast-specific HLA-C expression. Interestingly, JEG3 cells lacked expression of classical progesterone receptors (PRs) but exhibited high expression of PGRMC1, a finding we confirmed in primary trophoblasts by mining sc-RNA seq data from human placenta. To investigate the role of PGRMC1 in progesterone signaling, we used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to knockout PGRMC1 in JEG3 cells. PGRMC1-deficient cells showed a diminished response to progesterone stimulation. Furthermore, we found that the progesterone antagonist RU486 inhibited ELF3 expression in a PGRMC1-dependent manner, suggesting that RU486 acts as a progesterone antagonist by competing for receptor binding. Additionally, we found that RU486 inhibited cell invasion, an important process for successful pregnancy, and this inhibitory effect was dependent on PGRMC1. Our findings highlight the crucial role of PGRMC1 in mediating the immunoregulatory effects of progesterone at the maternal-fetal interface.
妊娠的着床和维持涉及复杂的免疫过程,使发育中的胎儿能够与母体免疫系统共存。孕激素是妊娠期间的关键激素,已知其能促进免疫耐受并防止早产。然而,孕激素介导这些作用的机制尚不清楚。在这项研究中,我们研究了非经典孕激素受体膜成分 1(PGRMC1)在母体-胎儿界面孕激素信号转导中的作用。我们使用 JEG3 细胞,一种滋养层模型细胞系,观察到孕激素刺激增加了人类白细胞抗原-C(HLA-C)和 HLA-G 的表达,这是免疫耐受的关键分子。我们还发现孕激素上调了转录因子 ELF3 的表达,ELF3 已知调节滋养层特异性 HLA-C 的表达。有趣的是,JEG3 细胞缺乏经典孕激素受体(PRs)的表达,但表现出高表达 PGRMC1,我们通过挖掘人类胎盘 sc-RNA seq 数据在原代滋养层中证实了这一点。为了研究 PGRMC1 在孕激素信号转导中的作用,我们使用 CRISPR/Cas9 技术敲除了 JEG3 细胞中的 PGRMC1。PGRMC1 缺失细胞对孕激素刺激的反应减弱。此外,我们发现孕激素拮抗剂 RU486 以 PGRMC1 依赖的方式抑制 ELF3 的表达,表明 RU486 通过与受体结合竞争起孕激素拮抗剂的作用。此外,我们发现 RU486 抑制细胞侵袭,这是成功妊娠的一个重要过程,而这种抑制作用依赖于 PGRMC1。我们的研究结果强调了 PGRMC1 在介导母体-胎儿界面孕激素的免疫调节作用中的关键作用。