TY - JOUR
T1 - Uterine natural killer cells
T2 - To protect and to nurture
AU - Sojka, Dorothy K.
AU - Yang, Liping
AU - Yokoyama, Wayne M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PY - 2018/12/1
Y1 - 2018/12/1
N2 - During the course of pregnancy, the maternal-fetal interface is tightly regulated and undergoes dynamic changes that promote the successful development of the semi-allogeneic fetus. In response to embryo implantation, the uterus remodels with maternal immune cells occupying the maternal-fetal interface and uterine natural killer (uNK) cells becoming the most prominent leukocyte. Recently, uNK cells have been discovered to be heterogeneous, including conventional NK and tissue-resident NK cells. Here, we will review the recent advances in uNK cell biology and discuss their functional mechanisms which protect and nurture the growing fetus.
AB - During the course of pregnancy, the maternal-fetal interface is tightly regulated and undergoes dynamic changes that promote the successful development of the semi-allogeneic fetus. In response to embryo implantation, the uterus remodels with maternal immune cells occupying the maternal-fetal interface and uterine natural killer (uNK) cells becoming the most prominent leukocyte. Recently, uNK cells have been discovered to be heterogeneous, including conventional NK and tissue-resident NK cells. Here, we will review the recent advances in uNK cell biology and discuss their functional mechanisms which protect and nurture the growing fetus.
KW - conventional natural killer cells
KW - pregnancy
KW - tissue-resident natural killer cells
KW - uterine natural killer cells
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85056890861&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/bdr2.1419
DO - 10.1002/bdr2.1419
M3 - Review article
C2 - 30467993
AN - SCOPUS:85056890861
SN - 2472-1727
VL - 110
SP - 1531
EP - 1538
JO - Birth Defects Research
JF - Birth Defects Research
IS - 20
ER -