Apoptosis Signaling Is Altered in CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ T Regulatory Lymphocytes in Pre-Eclampsia

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Dorota Darmochwal-Kolarz¹  Shigeru Saito³  Jacek Tabarkiewicz²  Bogdan Kolarz²  Jacek Rolinski²  Bozena Leszczynska-Gorzelak¹ 

[1] Department of Obstetrics and Perinatology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin 20-950, Al. Raclawickie 1, Poland; E-Mails:;Department of Clinical Immunology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin 20-950, Al. Raclawickie 1, Poland; E-Mails:;Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan; E-Mail:

关键词: apoptosis;    Bax protein;    Bcl-2 protein;    CD95 antigen;    pre-eclampsia;    pregnancy;    Treg cells;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms13066548

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The aim of our study was to estimate the surface expressions of CD95 (APO-1/Fas) antigen and the intracellular expressions of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and pro-apoptotic protein Bax in CD4⁺CD25⁺FoxP3⁺ T regulatory lymphocytes (Tregs) as well as the percentage of CD8⁺CD28⁺ T cytotoxic cells in peripheral blood of patients with pre-eclampsia in comparison with healthy pregnant women in the third trimester of physiological pregnancy. Twenty-four women with pre-eclampsia and 20 normal third trimester pregnant women were included in the study. The lymphocytes were isolated from peripheral blood samples and labeled with monoclonal antibodies. The expressions of surface antigens and intracellular proteins were estimated using flow cytometry. The population of CD4⁺CD25⁺FoxP3⁺ Treg cells was significantly lower in peripheral blood of patients with pre-eclampsia when compared to normal third trimester pregnant women. The percentages of CD4⁺CD25⁺FoxP3⁺ Treg cells that express Bcl-2 protein were significantly lower in peripheral blood of patients with pre-eclampsia when compared to healthy pregnant women, whereas the percentages of CD4⁺CD25⁺FoxP3⁺ Treg cells with the expressions of Bax protein did not differ in both groups. Moreover, the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of Bcl-2 protein in CD4⁺CD25⁺FoxP3⁺ Treg cells was significantly lower and MFI of Bax protein significantly higher in pre-eclampsia when compared to the control group. The percentage of CD8⁺CD28⁺ T cells did not differ in both studied groups but MFI of CD28 antigen on T CD8⁺ cells was significantly higher in pre-eclampsia when compared to the control group. The obtained results suggest that the deficit of CD4⁺CD25⁺FoxP3⁺ Treg lymphocytes which is observed in pre-eclampsia may be associated with altered apoptosis signaling in Tregs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.