Decidual NR2F2-Expressing CD4+ T Cells Promote TH2 Transcriptional Program During Early Pregnancy

• Published in: Frontiers in immunology Vol. 12; p. 670777
• Main Authors: Lin, Yikong, Zhang, Di, Li, Yangyang, Li, Yunyun, Li, Bin, Du, Meirong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A 18.05.2021
• Subjects: CD4+T cell; GATA-3; Immunology; maternal-fetal immune tolerance; NR2F2; pregnancy
• ISSN: 1664-3224; 1664-3224
• DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.670777

A unique immunotolerant microenvironment with Th2 bias in the decidua provides an essential security for successful pregnancy. The disorganized maternal-fetal immune tolerance contributes to more than 50% of unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). How the Th2 bias is developed at the maternal-fetal interface remains undefined. NR2F2, a member of steroid/thyroid nuclear receptor superfamily, is endowed with diverse importance in cell-fate specification, organogenesis, angiogenesis, and metabolism. Here, we showed that NR2F2 was absolutely highly expressed in decidual CD4 + T(dCD4 + T) cells, but not in peripheral circulating CD4 + T cells during early pregnancy. Decidual NR2F2-expressing CD4 + T cells dominantly produced Th2 cytokines. In unexplained RSA patients, NR2F2 expression in dCD4 + T cells was significantly decreased, accompanied with disordered phenotype of dCD4 + T cells. Furthermore, overexpression of NR2F2 promoted the Th2 differentiation of naive CD4 + T cells. Immunoprecipitation experiment confirmed the binding relationship between GATA-3 and NR2F2, which implied GATA-3 may be an important interactive element involved in the immunoregulatory process of NR2F2. This study is the first to reveal a previously unappreciated role for NR2F2-mediated dCD4 + T cells in maternal-fetal immune tolerance and maintenance of normal pregnancy, in the hope of providing a potential biomarker for prediction and prevention of clinical unexplained RSA.