Tuesday 19 December 2017

Immune cells in the uterus help nourish fetus during early pregnancy

(Cell Press) Natural killer cells are among the most abundant immune cells in the uterus during the first trimester of pregnancy, but their numbers decline substantially after the placenta forms. An Immunity study shows that this cell population helps to optimize maternal nourishment of the fetus at early stages of development. The researchers identified uterine natural killer cells that secrete growth-promoting factors, and demonstrated that transfer of these cells can reverse impaired fetal growth in pregnant mice.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://ift.tt/2D5gD6d

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