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Wang F, Ferreira LMR, Mazzanti A, Yu H, Gu B, Meissner TB, Li Q, Strominger JL. Progesterone-mediated remodeling of the maternal-fetal interface by a PGRMC1-dependent mechanism. J Reprod Immunol 2024; 163:104244. [PMID: 38555747 PMCID: PMC11151737 DOI: 10.1016/j.jri.2024.104244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Implantation and maintenance of pregnancy involve intricate immunological processes that enable the developing fetus to coexist with the maternal immune system. Progesterone, a critical hormone during pregnancy, is known to promote immune tolerance and prevent preterm labor. However, the mechanism by which progesterone mediates these effects remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of the non-classical progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1) in progesterone signaling at the maternal-fetal interface. Using JEG3 cells, a trophoblast model cell line, we observed that progesterone stimulation increased the expression of human leukocyte antigen-C (HLA-C) and HLA-G, key molecules involved in immune tolerance. We also found that progesterone upregulated the expression of the transcription factor ELF3, which is known to regulate trophoblast-specific HLA-C expression. Interestingly, JEG3 cells lacked expression of classical progesterone receptors (PRs) but exhibited high expression of PGRMC1, a finding we confirmed in primary trophoblasts by mining sc-RNA seq data from human placenta. To investigate the role of PGRMC1 in progesterone signaling, we used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to knockout PGRMC1 in JEG3 cells. PGRMC1-deficient cells showed a diminished response to progesterone stimulation. Furthermore, we found that the progesterone antagonist RU486 inhibited ELF3 expression in a PGRMC1-dependent manner, suggesting that RU486 acts as a progesterone antagonist by competing for receptor binding. Additionally, we found that RU486 inhibited cell invasion, an important process for successful pregnancy, and this inhibitory effect was dependent on PGRMC1. Our findings highlight the crucial role of PGRMC1 in mediating the immunoregulatory effects of progesterone at the maternal-fetal interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Wang
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States; Department of Obstetrics, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Hubei 430072, China
| | - Leonardo M R Ferreira
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Andrew Mazzanti
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Huaxiao Yu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510120, China; Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510120, China
| | - Bowen Gu
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
| | - Torsten B Meissner
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Qin Li
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510120, China; Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510120, China.
| | - Jack L Strominger
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States.
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Zhuang BM, Cao DD, Liu XF, Wang L, Lin XL, Duan YG, Lee CL, Chiu PCN, Yeung WSB, Yao YQ. Application of a JEG-3 organoid model to study HLA-G function in the trophoblast. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1130308. [PMID: 37006248 PMCID: PMC10050466 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1130308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The human placenta is a unique temporary organ with a mysterious immune tolerance. The formation of trophoblast organoids has advanced the study of placental development. HLA-G is uniquely expressed in the extravillous trophoblast (EVT) and has been linked to placental disorders. With older experimental methodologies, the role of HLA-G in trophoblast function beyond immunomodulation is still contested, as is its role during trophoblast differentiation. Organoid models incorporating CRISPR/Cas9 technology were used to examine the role of HLA-G in trophoblast function and differentiation. JEG-3 trophoblast organoids (JEG-3-ORGs) were established that highly expressed trophoblast representative markers and had the capacity to differentiate into EVT. CRISPR/Cas9 based on HLA-G knockout (KO) significantly altered the trophoblast immunomodulatory effect on the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells, as well as the trophoblast regulatory effect on HUVEC angiogenesis, but had no effect on the proliferation and invasion of JEG-3 cells and the formation of TB-ORGs. RNA-sequencing analysis further demonstrated that JEG-3 KO cells followed similar biological pathways as their wild-type counterparts during the formation of TB-ORGs. In addition, neither HLA-G KO nor the exogenous addition of HLA-G protein during EVT differentiation from JEG-3-ORGs altered the temporal expression of the known EVT marker genes. Based on the JEG-3 KO (disruption of exons 2 and 3) cell line and the TB-ORGs model, it was determined that HLA-G has a negligible effect on trophoblast invasion and differentiation. Despite this, JEG-3-ORG remains a valuable model for studying trophoblast differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bai-Mei Zhuang
- Medical School of Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Dan-Dan Cao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiao-Feng Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiao-Li Lin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yong-Gang Duan
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Cheuk-Lun Lee
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, HKU Li Ka Shing (LKS) Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Philip C. N. Chiu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, HKU Li Ka Shing (LKS) Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - William S. B. Yeung
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, HKU Li Ka Shing (LKS) Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- *Correspondence: William S. B. Yeung, ; Yuan-Qing Yao,
| | - Yuan-Qing Yao
- Medical School of Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Medical Centre, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: William S. B. Yeung, ; Yuan-Qing Yao,
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Ravindranath MH, El Hilali F, Amato-Menker CJ, El Hilali H, Selvan SR, Filippone EJ. Role of HLA-I Structural Variants and the Polyreactive Antibodies They Generate in Immune Homeostasis. Antibodies (Basel) 2022; 11:antib11030058. [PMID: 36134954 PMCID: PMC9495617 DOI: 10.3390/antib11030058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-surface HLA-I molecules consisting of β2-microglobulin (β2m) associated heavy chains (HCs), referred to as Face-1, primarily present peptides to CD8+ T-cells. HCs consist of three α-domains, with selected amino acid sequences shared by all alleles of all six isoforms. The cell-surface HLA undergoes changes upon activation by pathological conditions with the expression of β2m-free HCs (Face-2) resulting in exposure of β2m-masked sequences shared by almost all alleles and the generation of HLA-polyreactive antibodies (Abs) against them. Face-2 may homodimerize or heterodimerize with the same (Face-3) or different alleles (Face-4) preventing exposure of shared epitopes. Non-allo immunized males naturally carry HLA-polyreactive Abs. The therapeutic intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) purified from plasma of thousands of donors contains HLA-polyreactive Abs, admixed with non-HLA Abs. Purified HLA-polyreactive monoclonal Abs (TFL-006/007) generated in mice after immunizing with Face-2 are documented to be immunoregulatory by suppressing or activating different human lymphocytes, much better than IVIg. Our objectives are (a) to elucidate the complexity of the HLA-I structural variants, and their Abs that bind to both shared and uncommon epitopes on different variants, and (b) to examine the roles of those Abs against HLA-variants in maintaining immune homeostasis. These may enable the development of personalized therapeutic strategies for various pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mepur H. Ravindranath
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- Emeritus Research Scientist, Terasaki Foundation Laboratory, Santa Monica, CA 90064, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Fatiha El Hilali
- Medico-Surgical, Biomedicine and Infectiology Research Laboratory, The Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Laayoune & Agadir, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir 80000, Morocco
| | - Carly J. Amato-Menker
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - Hajar El Hilali
- Medico-Surgical, Biomedicine and Infectiology Research Laboratory, The Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Laayoune & Agadir, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir 80000, Morocco
| | - Senthamil R. Selvan
- Division of Immunology and Hematology Devices, OHT 7: Office of In Vitro Diagnostics, Office of Product Evaluation and Quality, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Edward J. Filippone
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19145, USA
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Ravindranath MH, Terasaki PI, Pham T, Jucaud V. The Monospecificity of Novel Anti-HLA-E Monoclonal Antibodies Enables Reliable Immunodiagnosis, Immunomodulation of HLA-E, and Upregulation of CD8+ T Lymphocytes. Monoclon Antib Immunodiagn Immunother 2015; 34:135-53. [PMID: 26090591 DOI: 10.1089/mab.2014.0096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In human cancers, over-expression of HLA-E is marked by gene expression. However, immunolocalization of HLA-E on tumor cells is impeded by the HLA-Ia reactivity of commercial anti-HLA-E monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). So there was a clear need to develop monospecific anti-HLA-E MAbs for reliable immunodiagnosis of HLA-E, particularly considering the prognostic relevance of HLA-E in human cancer. HLA-E overexpression is correlated with disease progression and poor survival of patients, both of which are attributed to the suppression of anti-tumor activity of cytotoxic T cells mediated by HLA-E. The suppression mechanism involves the binding of HLA-E-specific amino acids located on the α1 and α2 helices of HLA-E to the inhibitory receptors (CD94/NKG2a) on CD8+ T lymphocytes. An anti-HLA-E MAb that recognizes these HLA-E-specific sequences can not only be a monospecific MAb with potential for specific immunolocalization of HLA-E but can also block the sequences from interacting with the CD94/NKG2a receptors. We therefore developed several clones that secrete such HLA-E-specific MAbs; then we assessed the ability of the MAbs to bind to the amino acid sequences interacting with the CD94/NKG2a receptors by inhibiting them from binding to HLA-E with peptides that inhibit receptor binding. Elucidation of the immunomodulatory capabilities of these monospecific MAbs showed that they can induce proliferation of CD8+ T cells with or without co-stimulation. These novel MAbs can serve a dual role in combating cancer by blocking interaction of HLA-E with CD94/NKG2a and by promoting proliferation of both non-activated and activated CD8+ cytotoxic αβ T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tho Pham
- Terasaki Foundation Laboratory , Los Angeles, California
| | - Vadim Jucaud
- Terasaki Foundation Laboratory , Los Angeles, California
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Jabeen A, Miranda-Sayago JM, Obara B, Spencer PS, Dealtry GB, Hayrabedyan S, Shaikly V, Laissue PP, Fernández N. Quantified colocalization reveals heterotypic histocompatibility class I antigen associations on trophoblast cell membranes: relevance for human pregnancy. Biol Reprod 2013; 89:94. [PMID: 24006284 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.113.111963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Human placental syncytiotrophoblasts lack expression of most types of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and class II molecules; this is thought to contribute to a successful pregnancy. However, the HLA class Ib antigens HLA-G, -E, and -F and the HLA class Ia antigen HLA-C are selectively expressed on extravillous trophoblast cells, and they are thought to play a major role in controlling feto-maternal tolerance. We have hypothesized that selective expression, coupled with the preferential physical association of pairs of HLA molecules, contribute to the function of HLA at the feto-maternal interface and the maternal recognition of the fetus. We have developed a unique analytical model that allows detection and quantification of the heterotypic physical associations of HLA class I molecules expressed on the membrane of human trophoblast choriocarcinoma cells, ACH-3P and JEG-3. Automated image analysis was used to estimate the degree of overlap of HLA molecules labeled with different fluorochromes. This approach yields an accurate measurement of the degree of colocalization. In both JEG-3 and ACH-3P cells, HLA-C, -E, and -G were detected on the cell membrane, while the expression of HLA-F was restricted to the cytoplasm. Progesterone treatment alone induced a significant increase in the expression level of the HLA-G/HLA-E association, suggesting that this heterotypic association is modulated by this hormone. Our data shows that the cell-surface HLA class I molecules HLA-G, -E, and -C colocalize with each other and have the potential to form preferential heterotypic associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asma Jabeen
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
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