Natural killer (NK) cells that populate the decidua are important regulators of normal placentation. In contrast to peripheral blood NK (pNK) cells, decidual NK cells (dNK) lack cytotoxicity, secrete pro-angiogenic factors and regulate trophoblast invasion. Here we show that exposure to a combination of hypoxia, transforming growth factor beta 1, and a demethylating agent, results in NK cells that express Killer cell Immunoglobulin like Receptors, the dNK cell markers CD9 and CD49a, and dNK pattern of chemokine receptors. These cells secrete vascular endothelial growth factor, a potent pro-angiogenic molecule, display reduced cytotoxicity and promote invasion of human trophoblast cell lines. These findings have potential therapeutic applications for placental disorders associated with altered NK cell biology.

Langerhans cells (LC) are thought to be the only mononuclear phagocyte population in the epidermis where they detect pathogens. Here, we show that CD11c + dendritic cells (DCs) are also present. These cells are transcriptionally similar to dermal cDC2 but are more efficient antigen-presenting cells. Compared to LCs, epidermal CD11c + DCs are enriched in anogenital tissues where they preferentially interact with HIV, express the higher levels of HIV entry receptor CCR5, support the higher levels of HIV uptake and replication and are more efficient at transmitting the virus to CD4 T cells. Importantly, these findings are observed using both a lab-adapted and transmitted/founder strain of HIV. We also describe a CD33 low cell population, which is transcriptionally similar to LCs but does not appear to function as antigen-presenting cells or acts as HIV target cells. Our findings reveal that epidermal DCs in anogenital tissues potentially play a key role in sexual transmission of HIV.

Abstract-Pregnancies complicated by new-onset hypertension are associated with increased sensitivity to angiotensin II, but it is unclear whether this sensitivity persists postpartum. We studied pressor response to infused angiotensin II in 25 normotensive postpartum women in both high-and low-sodium balance. Ten women had a history of hypertensive pregnancy (5 with preeclampsia; 5 with transient hypertension of pregnancy), and 15 women had a history of uncomplicated, normotensive pregnancy. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures, aldosterone, and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 levels were measured before and after angiotensin II infusion in both dietary phases. In high sodium balance, women with a history of hypertensive pregnancy were normotensive but had significantly higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures than controls (115 versus 104 mm Hg and 73 versus 65 mm Hg, respectively; PϽ0.05).Women with a history of hypertensive pregnancy had a pressor response to salt loading, demonstrated by an increase in systolic blood pressure on a high-salt diet. They also had greater systolic pressor response (10 versus 2 mm Hg; Pϭ0.03), greater increase in aldosterone (56.8 versus 30.8 ng/dL; Pϭ0.03), and increase in soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 levels (11.0 versus Ϫ18.9 pg/mL; Pϭ0.02) after infusion of angiotensin II in low-sodium balance compared with controls. Thus, women with a history of hypertensive pregnancy demonstrated salt sensitivity of blood pressure and had increased pressor, adrenal, and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 responses to infused angiotensin II in low-sodium balance. Increased sensitivity to angiotensin II observed during pregnancy in women with hypertensive pregnancy is present postpartum; this feature may contribute to future cardiovascular risk in these women. A pproximately 5% to 10% of pregnancies are complicated by new-onset hypertension, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality for both the mother and the neonate. 1 Several studies have shown that women who develop elevated blood pressure during pregnancy, in the absence of underlying chronic essential hypertension, return to a normotensive state postpartum but appear to have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. [2][3][4][5][6] This observation suggests that there may be abnormalities in vascular function that persist postpartum, predisposing these women to future development of cardiovascular disease. 7 Normal pregnancy has been identified as a state of relative resistance to the pressor effects of angiotensin II (Ang II). 8,9 In contrast, pregnant women with new-onset hypertension demonstrate increased sensitivity to the pressor effects of Ang II, even before the onset of hypertension. 10 These women return to a normotensive state postpartum, but whether sensitivity to Ang II also normalizes postpartum has not been well explored. Methods Study PopulationTwenty-five healthy normotensive postpartum women were studied at 2 sites, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston or Vanderbilt Medical Cente...

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Both angiogenesis and vasculogenesis occur during normal placental development. Additionally, the placenta undergoes a process of vascular mimicry (also referred to as pseudo-vasculogenesis) where the placental cytotrophoblasts that invade the spiral arteries convert from an epithelial to an endothelial phenotype during normal pregnancy. Failure of placental angiogenesis and pseudo-vasculogenesis during placental development has been linked to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and related disorders such as intrauterine growth restriction. This review discusses placental vascular development during health and in disease with a focus on accumulating recent evidence that the maternal clinical syndrome of preeclampsia may be due to the result of excess antiangiogenic factors liberated by the diseased placenta.

Lactating goats exhibiting widely divergent responses to short-term (4 days) treatment with bovine GH (bGH) were retrospectively divided into two groups based on the magnitude of this response. There was no difference between groups in terms of the pretreatment milk yield, but by day 4 of treatment milk secretion had increased by 4.99 +/- 2.5 (S.E.M.) ml/h (P greater than 0.05 compared with pretreatment) for group 1 and 22.9 +/- 2.4 ml/h (P less than 0.001) for group 2. Plasma GH increased in both groups, but concentrations were significantly higher both before and during treatment in group 1 compared with group 2. Plasma concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) increased significantly during bGH treatment for both groups and there was no significant difference between the two until day 4 of treatment when levels of IGF-I in group 1 began to decline, whereas those from group 2 were maintained. Concentrations of IGF-I in milk from goats in group 1 were not significantly altered by GH administration, whereas those in goats in group 2 were increased by 40% (P less than 0.01 compared with pretreatment). Levels of IGF-I in mammary secretory tissue from four animals from group 1 were not altered by bGH (2.8 +/- 0.2 and 2.77 +/- 0.08 nmol/kg tissue before and after treatment respectively), but were significantly (P less than 0.05) increased in four animals from group 2 (2.80 +/- 0.2 and 9.9 +/- 1.1 nmol/kg tissue).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mononuclear phagocytes are antigen presenting cells that play a key role in linking the innate and adaptive immune systems. In tissue, these consist of Langerhans cells, dendritic cells and macrophages, all of which express the key HIV entry receptors CD4 and CCR5 making them directly infectible with HIV. Mononuclear phagocytes are the first cells of the immune system to interact with invading pathogens such as HIV. Each cell type expresses a specific repertoire of pathogen binding receptors which triggers pathogen uptake and the release of innate immune cytokines. Langerhans cells and dendritic cells migrate to lymph nodes and present antigens to CD4 T cells, whereas macrophages remain tissue resident. Here we review how HIV-1 manipulates these cells by blocking their ability to produce innate immune cytokines and taking advantage of their antigen presenting cell function in order to gain transport to its primary target cells, CD4 T cells.