Mechanisms of diminished natural killer cell activity in pregnant women and neonates

Journal Article · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985 · J. Immunol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5406217

Baley, J E; Schacter, B Z

Because alterations in natural killer (NK) activity in the perinatal period may be important in the maintenance of a healthy pregnancy, the mechanisms by which these alterations are mediated in neonates and in pregnant and postpartum women was examined. NK activity, as measured in a 4-hr /sup 51/Cr-release assay and compared with adult controls, is significantly diminished in all three trimesters of pregnancy and in immediately postpartum women. In postpartum women, NK activity appears to be higher than in pregnant women, although this does not reach statistical significance. Pregnant and postpartum women have normal numbers of large granular lymphocytes and normal target cell binding in an agarose single cell assay but decreased lysis of the bound target cells. NK activity of mononuclear cells from postpartum women, in addition, demonstrate a shift in distribution to higher levels of resistance to gamma-irradiation. Further, sera from postpartum women cause a similar shift to increased radioresistance in mononuclear cells from adult controls. Because radioresistance is a property of interleukin 2-stimulated NK, the shift to radioresistance may represent lymphokine-mediated stimulation occurring during parturition. In contrast, cord blood cells have a more profound decrease in NK activity as determined by /sup 51/Cr-release assay and decreases in both binding and lysis of bound target cells in the single cell assay. The resistance of NK activity in cord cells to gamma-irradiation is also increased, as seen in postpartum women. Cord blood serum, however, did not alter radioresistance or inhibit NK activity. The results suggest that the observed diminished NK activity in pregnant women and neonates arise by different mechanisms: an absence of mature NK cells in the neonate and an alteration of the NK cell in pregnancy leading to decreased killing.

• Research Organization: Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH
• OSTI ID: 5406217
• Journal Information: J. Immunol.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Immunol.; (United States) Vol. 134:5; ISSN JOIMA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

551001 -- Physiological Systems-- Tracer Techniques
560121* -- Radiation Effects on Cells-- External Source-- (-1987)
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BLOOD SERUM
BODY FLUIDS
CELL KILLING
CHROMIUM 51
CHROMIUM ISOTOPES
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
GAMMA RADIATION
IMMUNE REACTIONS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LEUKOCYTES
LYMPHOCYTES
MAMMALS
MAN
MATERIALS
NEONATES
NUCLEI
PREGNANCY
PRIMATES
RADIATIONS
RADIOASSAY
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIOSENSITIVITY
SOMATIC CELLS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
VERTEBRATES