Abstract
The immunological mechanisms that regulate abortion are largely unknown. Here, we found that a distinct subset of lymphocytes, Valpha14 NKT cells expressing an invariant antigen receptor encoded by Valpha14/Jalpha281 and Vbeta7 segments, accumulated in the decidua during pregnancy and provoked abortion upon stimulation with alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer), a specific ligand for Valpha14 NKT cells. The alpha-GalCer-mediated abortion was not observed in Valpha14 NKT-, IFN-gamma-, tumor necrosis factor alpha-, or perforin-knock-out mice and appeared to be due to the degeneration of embryonic trophoblasts mediated by the activated Valpha14 NKT cells whose perforin-dependent killing and production of IFN-gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha were essential. The possible role of the decidual Valpha14 NKT cells in the pathogenesis of abortion is discussed.
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