Regulation of Recombinase Rag-1 Expression by Female Sex Steroids in Treg and Th17 Lymphocytes: Role of Oncostatin M.

Abstract

The effect of estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4), and oncostatin M (OSM) on the differentiation of CD4+ T cells to T regulatory (Treg) lymphocytes and T helpers 17 (Th17) was investigated. The possibility of revision of the T cell receptor in these subpopulations by evaluating the expression of RAG-1 recombinase was also studied. E2 at concentrations characteristic of pregnancy trimester I, but no P4 or OSM, increased the Treg level. Combination of sex steroids with OSM increased the percent of CD4+FOXP3+ cells and enhanced RAG-1 expression in these cells, thus promoting the development of immune tolerance during pregnancy. In the study of Th17, such effect of the hormones and OSM was not detected.