Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

Published in

Oxford University Press, Biology of Reproduction, 1(88), 2013

DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.112.105460

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Profiling Lgals9 Splice Variant Expression at the Fetal-Maternal Interface: Implications in Normal and Pathological Human Pregnancy1

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Orange circle
Postprint: archiving restricted
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Disruption of fetal-maternal tolerance mechanisms can contribute to pregnancy complications, including spontaneous abortion. Galectin-9 (LGALS9), a tandem repeat lectin, associated with immunomodulation is expressed in the endometrium during the mid- and late-secretory phases and in early-pregnancy decidua. However, the role of LGALS9 during pregnancy remains poorly understood. We used qPCR and immunohistochemical staining to analyze the expression of LGALS9 during mouse gestation as well as in human tissues obtained from normal pregnancy and spontaneous abortions. In mice, three Lgals9 splice variants were detected of which the expression was differentially regulated during gestation. Furthermore, decidual Lgals9 expression was deregulated in a mouse model of spontaneous abortion, whereas placental levels did not change. We further found that the LGALS9 D5 isoform suppresses IFNG production by decidual NK cells. In human patients, six Lgals9 splice variants were detected and a decrease in Lgals9 D5/10 was associated with spontaneous abortion. Altogether, these results show a differential regulation of Lgals9 isoforms expression during normal and pathological pregnancies and designate Lgals9 as a potential marker for adverse pregnancy outcomes.