BioProject

Although recent studies have revealed that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate fundamental Natural Killer (NK) cell processes including cytotoxicity and cytokine production, little is known about the miRNA-gene regulatory relationships in maternal peripheral blood NK (pNK) cells during pregnancy. More...

Although recent studies have revealed that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate fundamental Natural Killer (NK) cell processes including cytotoxicity and cytokine production, little is known about the miRNA-gene regulatory relationships in maternal peripheral blood NK (pNK) cells during pregnancy. To predict the role of miRNAs within gene regulatory networks of maternal pNK cells during pregnancy, we performed comprehensive miRNA and gene expression profiling of maternal pNK cells using a combination of real-time PCR-based array and DNA microarray analyses and analyzed these differential expression levels between first- and third-trimester pNK cells. Furthermore, we constructed regulatory networks for miRNA-mediated gene expression in pNK cells during pregnancy by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. By PCR-based array analysis of miRNAs, 12 miRNAs including 6 placenta-derived miRNAs [chromosome 19 microRNA cluster (C19MC) miRNAs] were significantly upregulated in third-trimester pNK cells compared to first-trimester pNK cells. pNK cells incorporated C19MC miRNAs, whose interaction would be mediated via exosomes. Rapid clearance of C19MC miRNAs also occurred in NK cells after delivery. By DNA microarray analysis, 13 NK cell function-related genes were significantly downregulated between first- and third-trimester pNK cells. By pathway and network analysis, 9 downregulated NK-function-associated genes were in silico target candidates of 12 upregulated miRNAs including C19MC miRNA miR-512-3p. The results suggest that transfer of placental C19MC-miRNAs into maternal pNK cells occurs during pregnancy. The present study provides clues to understand maternal NK cell functions Overall design: Gene expressions in human maternal peripheral blood NK cells were measured at 1st-trimester, 3rd-trimester. Five independent experiments were performed at each term (1st-trimester or 3rd-trimester) using different donors for each experiment. Less...