IFPA Meeting 2011 workshop report III: Placental immunology; epigenetic and microRNA-dependent gene regulation; comparative placentation; trophoblast differentiation; stem cells

Workshops are an important part of the IFPA annual meeting as they allow for discussion of specialised topics. At IFPA meeting 2011 there were twelve themed workshops, five of which are summarized in this report. These workshops related to various aspects of placental biology: 1) immunology; 2) epigenetics; 3) comparative placentation; 4) trophoblast differentiation; 5) stem cells.

Comparison of macrophage phenotype between decidua basalis and decidua parietalis by flow cytometry

The two regions of the maternal decidua, decidua basalis and decidua parietalis, differ in the extent of trophoblast invasion and consequently in cytokines and other biological mediators, extracellular matrix and cellular components. Our aim was to compare the phenotypic features of macrophages from the two decidual regions across a broad gestational age range. We isolated macrophages by enzymatic digestion from healthy decidua samples obtained after elective abortions, at 9-18-week and at 19-23-weeks, or after term deliveries (caesarean sections at term and spontaneous term vaginal deliveries). Macrophages were analysed by flow cytometry applying the same instrument settings to all the samples to allow semi-quantitative comparison of the expression of a particular marker between different samples. We found higher expressions of CD80, CD86 and HLA-DR, suggestive of a more activated phenotype of decidual macrophages, at early/mid pregnancy than at term. Marginal differences were found between term decidual macrophages obtained after spontaneous vaginal deliveries or caesarean sections which imply that the parturient process is not associated with decidual macrophage activation. The expressions of CD105, DC-SIGN and MMR were the strongest in decidua basalis of mid pregnancy and indicate the importance of decidual macrophages in tissue homeostasis at the uteroplacental interface.

Differential Distribution of CD4+CD25bright and CD8+CD28− T-cells in Decidua and Maternal Blood During Human Pregnancy

During pregnancy several maternal and fetal mechanisms are established to prevent a destructive immune response against the allogeneic fetus. Despite these mechanisms, fetus specific T-cells persist throughout gestation but little is known about the regulation of these T-cells. Recently, CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T-cells have been identified in human decidua. Human decidua forms the maternal part of the fetal-maternal interface and is subdivided in two distinct regions: the decidua (d.) basalis and the decidua (d.) parietalis. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of specific T-cell subsets in d. basalis and d. parietalis in early and term pregnancy, with a special emphasis on the presence of CD4(+)CD25(bright) (regulatory) T-cells and CD8(+)CD28(-) (suppressor) T-cells. In addition, we compared phenotypic characteristics of decidua derived T-cell subsets with maternal peripheral blood (mPBL) T-cells and T-cells from non-pregnant controls. We identified significantly higher percentages of CD4(+)CD25(bright) and CD8(+)CD28(-) T-cells in decidua compared to peripheral blood suggesting an important role for these T-cell subsets locally at the fetal-maternal interface. The major differences in T-cell subset distribution and the presence of additional phenotypic differences between T-cells in d. basalis, d. parietalis and mPBL may reflect specific immunomodulatory functions of these T-cell subsets at these different sites during pregnancy.