the better understanding of the mechanism of maternal immune tolerance induction by regulatory T cells, dendritic cells, and NK cells

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K09614
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 56040:Obstetrics and gynecology-related
• Research Institution: University of Toyama
• Principal Investigator: Shima Tomoko 富山大学, 学術研究部医学系, 助教 (00377285)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 中島 彰俊 富山大学, 学術研究部医学系, 教授 (00436792) ; 戸村 道夫 大阪大谷大学, 薬学部, 教授 (30314321) ; 津田 さやか 富山大学, 学術研究部医学系, 助教 (60839075)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 母児免疫寛容 / 父親抗原特異的制御性T細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Regulatory T cells (Treg) play an important role in the establishment of maternal immune tolerance, in which the fetus, which is semiallograft (half of the babies express paternal antigens and becomes foreign substances), is not rejected by the maternal immune system and continues to maintain pregnancy. Paternal antigen-specific Tregs proliferate in the uterus, which is the mother-infant interface, after implantation, and are responsible for inducing paternal antigen-specific immune tolerance. In this study, we proved that paternal antigen-specific proliferating　Tregs in the uterus are dominated by the thymus-derived Treg subset in early pregnancy and predominantly in the thymus periphery-induced Treg subset in late pregnancy.

Free Research Field

生殖免疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究において妊娠時の制御性T細胞のサブセットを解析したことで、免疫寛容誘導に関与すると思われる樹状細胞やNK細胞など免疫細胞との相互作用を含めた母児免疫寛容を誘導するメカニズムの研究につながると考える。母児免疫寛容のメカニズムを解明することは原因不明着床不全や不育症といった正常な母児免疫寛容の破綻が原因の一因となっている疾患に対して、その原因、診断、ひいては新規治療法の提案までできる可能性がある。