The changes of decidual natural killer cells phenotype and function

Objective:To compare the phenotype and functional changes between decidual natural killer(dNK) cells and peripheral natural killer (pNK) cells,and investigate the relationship of dNK cells specific phenotype and the immunotolerance regulated mechanism at fetal-maternal interface.Methods:The phenotype of dNK cells and pNK cells was analyzed with flow cytometry.dNK cells and pNK cells were separated by MACS,lactate dehydrogenase was used to determine the cytotoxic activity on K562 cells.Results:CD16 expression on dNK cells was significantly lower than on pNK cells(P 0.01).NKG2A expression on dNK cells was higher than that on pNK cells(P 0.01),NKG2D expression on dNK cells was lower than on pNK cells(P 0.05).The cytotoxic activity of dNK cells on K562 cells was significantly lower than that of pNK cells.Conclusions:The specific phenotype and function of dNK cells may be an important factors for the immunotolerance maintenance at fetal-maternal interface during pregnancy.