Crosstalk Between Trophoblast and Macrophage at the Maternal-Fetal Interface: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Overview

Journal Front Immunol

Specialty Allergy & Immunology

Date 2021 Nov 8

PMID 34745133

Citations 29

Authors

Jinli Ding

Yan Zhang

Xiaopeng Cai

Lianghui Diao

Chaogang Yang

Jing Yang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The immune tolerance microenvironment is crucial for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy at the maternal-fetal interface. The maternal-fetal interface is a complex system containing various cells, including lymphocytes, decidual stromal cells, and trophoblasts. Macrophages are the second-largest leukocytes at the maternal-fetal interface, which has been demonstrated to play essential roles in remodeling spiral arteries, maintaining maternal-fetal immune tolerance, and regulating trophoblast's biological behaviors. Many researchers, including us, have conducted a series of studies on the crosstalk between macrophages and trophoblasts at the maternal-fetal interface: on the one hand, macrophages can affect the invasion and migration of trophoblasts; on the other hand, trophoblasts can regulate macrophage polarization and influence the state of the maternal-fetal immune microenvironment. In this review, we systemically introduce the functions of macrophages and trophoblasts and the cell-cell interaction between them for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Advances in this area will further accelerate the basic research and clinical translation of reproductive medicine.

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