Whitelaw P F, Croy B A
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Canada.
Placenta. 1996 Nov;17(8):533-43. doi: 10.1016/s0143-4004(96)80070-1.
In pregnant mammals, the antigenically distinctive conceptus implants and grows in a uterine environment governed by the maternal immune system. The uterus per se is not immunologically privileged and large numbers of lymphocytes accumulate at implantation sites. In mice and humans, many of these lymphocytes have been identified as uterine natural killer (uNK) cells and exhibit a characteristic granulated morphology. In this review we focus on uNK cells and discuss their origin, differentiation and possible roles in the maintenance of healthy pregnancies. In species with less invasive placentation (ruminants, pigs), lymphocytes with similar granular morphology also appear during gestation and their identity and possible functions are examined.
在怀孕的哺乳动物中，具有独特抗原性的孕体在由母体免疫系统调控的子宫环境中着床并生长。子宫本身并非免疫特惠器官，大量淋巴细胞在着床部位聚集。在小鼠和人类中，这些淋巴细胞中有许多已被鉴定为子宫自然杀伤（uNK）细胞，并呈现出特征性的颗粒状形态。在本综述中，我们聚焦于uNK细胞，讨论它们的起源、分化以及在维持健康妊娠中的可能作用。在胎盘植入侵入性较小的物种（反刍动物、猪）中，具有相似颗粒形态的淋巴细胞在妊娠期间也会出现，并对它们的特性和可能功能进行了研究。
