Head J R
Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-9051, USA.
Nat Immun. 1996;15(1):7-21.
Large mononuclear cells with abundant prominent granules were described decades ago by morphologists studying implantation sites in pregnant rodents. These striking cells accumulated by midgestation in large numbers in a structure unique to rodent pregnancy that develops in the mesometrial region of the uterine musculature and was given the unfortunate name of metrial gland. Thus, the cells were originally termed granulated metrial gland (GMG) cells. Evidence provided over the last few years, especially in situ phenotyping and studies in mutant and transgenic mice, has reliably identified these cells as members of the natural killer (NK) cell lineage, and they are referred to here as granulated uterine NK (uNK) cells. Much of the evidence is reviewed here, along with a description of the spatial and temporal aspects of the differentiation of these cells. Especially highlighted are their life history and their likely importance early in pregnancy before development of the metrial gland proper. Their relation to other NK cell populations, especially activated cells, as well as their possible functions during pregnancy, are discussed. Because these cells develop in the unique microenvironment of the pregnant uterus and appear to differentiate along a specific pathway, hypotheses are proposed regarding the regulation of granulated uNK cell differentiation in this site.
几十年前，研究怀孕啮齿动物着床部位的形态学家描述了具有大量突出颗粒的大单核细胞。这些引人注目的细胞在妊娠中期大量聚集在啮齿动物妊娠特有的一种结构中，该结构在子宫肌层的子宫系膜区域发育，被赋予了不幸的名称——蜕膜。因此，这些细胞最初被称为颗粒化蜕膜（GMG）细胞。过去几年提供的证据，尤其是原位表型分析以及对突变和转基因小鼠的研究，已可靠地将这些细胞鉴定为自然杀伤（NK）细胞谱系的成员，在这里它们被称为颗粒化子宫NK（uNK）细胞。本文回顾了许多相关证据，并描述了这些细胞分化的时空方面。特别强调了它们的生命历程以及在蜕膜真正发育之前在妊娠早期可能的重要性。讨论了它们与其他NK细胞群体，尤其是活化细胞的关系，以及它们在妊娠期间可能的功能。由于这些细胞在怀孕子宫的独特微环境中发育，并且似乎沿着特定途径分化，因此提出了关于该部位颗粒化uNK细胞分化调控的假说。
