Involvement of the Fas ligand and Fas system in apoptosis induction of mouse uterine natural killer cells

Uterine natural killer (uNK) cells in the pregnant uterus are known to be associated with the normal development of the placenta. In the mouse pregnant uterus, many uNK cells exist during mid pregnancy, although they show a sudden decrease during late pregnancy and almost disappear before delivery. Our previous study indicated that uNK cells showed clear apoptotic morphology during late pregnancy. Therefore, the present study was carried out to define the involvement of Fas ligand (FasL) and Fas in apoptosis induction of uNK cells. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that uNK cells expressed FasL in the cytoplasmic granules and Fas on the cell membrane during late pregnancy. In lpr/lpr mice, which genetically lack Fas, many uNK cells were clearly observed during late pregnancy compared with wild-type mice, and moreover uNK cells still existed at day-18 of pregnancy, although there were few in wild-type mice during the same period. In the experiment of in vitro culture, uNK cells derived from wild-type placenta showed chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation frequently following the anti-Fas antibody treatment, as compared with the control. From these results, it is suggested that FasL and Fas-dependent apoptosis regulates cell appearance of uNK cells in the mouse pregnant uterus.