Problem

Immune checkpoint molecules are receptors that can transmit inhibitory signals into cells to negatively modulate the immune response. However, their roles in NK cells during normal pregnancy remain poorly understood.

Method of Study

Peripheral blood samples were collected from women during the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Peripheral blood NK (pNK) cells and T cells were analyzed for the expression of the immune checkpoint molecules TIGIT and PD-1 by flow cytometry. In addition, the ability of pNK cells to secret functional molecules was also evaluated.

Results

The expression of TIGIT on pNK cells increased gradually throughout pregnancy, whereas that of PD-1 showed the opposite pattern. However, on T cells, the expression of both TIGIT and PD-1 peaked during early pregnancy, and then declined gradually thereafter. Moreover, the expressions of granzyme B, IFN-γ and CD107a by pNK cells also decreased over the course of pregnancy. Compared with TIGIT- NK cells, TIGIT + NK cells possessed reduced expression of functional molecules.

Conclusions

As pregnancy progressed, the levels of immune checkpoint molecules expressed on pNK cells and T cells changed and the two molecules showed different trends. Furthermore, the secretion of functional molecules from pNK cells was negatively correlated with the trend of TIGIT expression, indicating TIGIT may play an important role in modulating the functions of pNK cells during pregnancy. Further study of TIGIT expression on pNK cells may enhance our understanding of its role in maintaining maternal-fetal tolerance and provide a useful marker for predicting instability during pregnancy.

中文翻译：

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正常妊娠过程中NK细胞TIGIT和PD-1表达动态

问题

免疫检查点分子是一种受体，可以将抑制信号传递到细胞中，从而对免疫反应产生负面影响。然而，它们在正常怀孕期间在 NK 细胞中的作用仍然知之甚少。

学习方法

在怀孕的第一个、第二个和第三个三个月期间从女性身上收集外周血样本。通过流式细胞术分析外周血 NK (pNK) 细胞和 T 细胞的免疫检查点分子 TIGIT 和 PD-1 的表达。此外，还评估了 pNK 细胞分泌功能分子的能力。

结果

pNK 细胞上 TIGIT 的表达在整个妊娠期间逐渐增加，而 PD-1 则显示出相反的模式。然而，在 T 细胞上，TIGIT 和 PD-1 的表达在妊娠早期达到峰值，然后逐渐下降。此外，pNK 细胞对颗粒酶 B、IFN-γ 和 CD107a 的表达也在妊娠过程中下降。与 TIGIT-NK 细胞相比，TIGIT + NK 细胞的功能分子表达减少。

结论

随着妊娠的进展，pNK 细胞和 T 细胞上表达的免疫检查点分子的水平发生了变化，这两种分子呈现出不同的趋势。此外，pNK细胞功能分子的分泌与TIGIT表达趋势呈负相关，表明TIGIT可能在调节妊娠期pNK细胞的功能中发挥重要作用。进一步研究 pNK 细胞上的 TIGIT 表达可能会增强我们对其在维持母胎耐受性中的作用的理解，并为预测怀孕期间的不稳定性提供有用的标记。