@misc{10481/111338, year = {2012}, url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/111338}, abstract = {Background: Normal pregnancy and spontaneous abortion in humans and mice are associated with immune responses. The decidua harbors dendritic cells identifiable in humans by their expression of DC-SIGN. Because dendritic cells are essential for immune response regulation, decidual DC-SIGN+ cells may play a role in normal or pathological pregnancy outcomes. Previous reports suggested that DC interact with NK cells in decidua, although the functional significance of this phenomenon remains unknown. Objective: We studied the presence of conjugates of DC-SIGN+ cells with CD56+ NK cells in normal human decidua. Methods: Conjugates of DC-SIGN+ cells with CD56+ NK cells were studied in leukocyte suspensions of normal human decidua (6-11 weeks) by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. The presence of apoptotic cells was determined by the TUNEL assay, incubation with annexin V and confocal microscopy in decidual leukocyte suspensions and by the TUNEL assay in decidual sections. Results: We observed conjugates of decidual DC-SIGN+ cells with CD56+ NK cells (40.2 ± 26.1% of all the DC-SIGN+ cells by flow cytometry and 52.3 ± 10.2% by confocal microscopy). We also found that a proportion of DC-SIGN+ cells were in apoptosis, since they were TUNEL+ (40.2 ± 7.2% of all DC-SIGN+ cells in decidual sections) and annexin V+ (34.4 ± 15.2% in leukocyte suspensions). And sorted DC-SIGN+ cells had multilobulated nuclei. Conclusions: The conjugates of decidual DC-SIGN+ cells with CD56+ NK cells strongly suggest that these latter cells induce apoptosis in DC-SIGN+ cells during normal pregnancy. We discuss this possibility in the context of maternal-fetal tolerance.}, organization = {Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria, Ministry of Health of Spain (PS09/00339)}, organization = {Fundación Progreso y Salud (TCRM 0010/2006).}, publisher = {Elsevier}, keywords = {Abortion}, keywords = {Apoptosis}, keywords = {Decidua}, keywords = {Dendritic cells}, keywords = {NK cells}, title = {Apoptotic DC-SIGN+ cells in normal human decidua}, doi = {10.1016/j.placenta.2012.01.003}, author = {Tirado-González, Irene and Muñoz-Fernández, Raquel and Prados, Alejandro and Leno-Durán, Esther and Martin, Francisco and Abadía Molina, Ana Clara and García Olivares, Enrique Fernando}, }