Progesterone modulates the T-cell response via glucocorticoid receptor-dependent pathways.

ABSTRACT:

Problem

Steroid hormones such as progesterone and glucocorticoids rise during pregnancy and are accountable for the adaptation of the maternal immune system to pregnancy. How steroid hormones induce fetal tolerance is not fully understood. We hypothesized that steroid hormones selectively regulate the T-cell response by promoting T-cell death.

Method of study

We incubated murine spleen cells isolated from non-pregnant and pregnant mice with physiological concentrations of steroid hormones in vitro and analyzed T-cell subsets after 48 h of incubation. Results We found that progesterone and the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone induce T-cell death. CD4⁺ regulatory T (T_reg ) cells were refractory toward progesterone-induced cell death, in contrast to

SUBMITTER: Hierweger AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7457140 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature