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Rana Chakraborty, Bali Pulendran
Published in Volume 119, Issue 7
J Clin Invest. 2009; 119(7):1854–1857 doi:10.1172/JCI39946
Abstract | Full text | PDF
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Figure 1
Hypothetical model of how non-migration of decidual DCs may regulate immune responses directed against the fetus during normal pregnancy.

Previous work has shown that lymphatic vessel endothelial receptor–1–positive (LYVE-1+) lymphatic vessels are localized in the myometrium, far away from the maternal/fetal interface upon embryo implantation (12). In their study in this issue of the JCI, Collins et al. (7) demonstrate that the myometrial lymphatic structures were the only structures to express the chemokine CCL21, which is a ligand for CCR7 and drives entry of myometrial DCs into the lymphatic vessels. Furthermore, with uterine growth, DCs in the myometrium increased in tissue density. In contrast, in the decidua there was a reduction in the density of DCs and little or no expression of CCL21. Importantly, the two major DC subsets present in the decidua (CD11chiCD11bhiCD103 and CD11chiCD11bloCD103+) were unable to migrate from the decidua, even after receiving a potent microbial stimulus such as LPS. These experiments provide evidence of decidual DC entrapment and suggest that a structurally intact decidua appeared to impede the chemokine-directed migration of DCs to the lymphatic vessels of the uterus. This DC entrapment could be the method by which an anti-fetal/placental T cell response is prevented, thus fostering immunological acceptance of the fetus by the maternal immune system.