Insights into the paracrine effects of uterine natural killer cells

Uterine natural killer (uNK) cells are recruited into the uterus during establishment of the implantation and placentation of the embryo, and are hypothesized to regulate uterine spiral artery remodeling and angiogenesis during the initial stages of pregnancy. Failures in uNK cell activation are linked to diseases associated with pregnancy. However, the manner in which these cells interact with the endometrium remain unknown. Therefore, this study investigated the paracrine effects of uNK cells on the gene expression profile of an endometrial epithelial and stromal cell co-culture system in vitro, using a microarray analysis. Results from reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay experiments showed that soluble factors from uNK cells significantly alter endometrial gene expression. In conclusion, this study suggests that paracrine effects of uNK cells guide uNK cell proliferation, trophoblast migration, endometrial decidualization and angiogenesis, and maintain non-cytotoxicity of uNK cells.