Journal of Reproduction and Development
Online ISSN : 1348-4400
Print ISSN : 0916-8818
ISSN-L : 0916-8818
Original Article
Tim-3 and PD-1 regulate CD8+ T cell function to maintain early pregnancy in mice
Yuan-Yuan XUSong-Cun WANGYi-Kong LINDa-Jin LIMei-Rong DU
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2017 Volume 63 Issue 3 Pages 289-294

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Abstract

During pregnancy, CD8+ T cells are important regulators in the balance of fetal tolerance and antiviral immunity. T-cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3) and programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) are well-recognized negative co-stimulatory molecules involved in viral persistence and tumor metastasis. Here, we demonstrate that CD8+ T cells co-expressing Tim-3 and PD-1 were down-regulated in the deciduae of female mice in abortion-prone matings compared with normal pregnant mice. In addition to their reduced numbers, the Tim-3+PD-1+CD8+ T cells produced lower levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10, as well as a higher level of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interferon (IFN)-γ, relative to those from normal pregnancy. Furthermore, normal pregnant CBA/J females challenged with Tim-3- and/or PD-1-blocking antibodies were more susceptible to fetal resorption. These findings indicate that Tim-3 and PD-1 pathways play critical roles in regulating CD8+ T cell function and maintaining normal pregnancy.

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© 2017 Society for Reproduction and Development

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons [Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International] license.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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