Multimodal profiling of term human decidua demonstrates immune adaptations with pregravid obesity
Suhas Sureshchandra,
Brianna M. Doratt,
Heather True,
Norma Mendoza,
Monica Rincon,
Nicole E. Marshall,
Ilhem Messaoudi
Affiliations
Suhas Sureshchandra
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Brianna M. Doratt
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
Heather True
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
Norma Mendoza
Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Monica Rincon
Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
Nicole E. Marshall
Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
Ilhem Messaoudi
Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: Leukocyte diversity of the first-trimester maternal-fetal interface has been extensively described; however, the immunological landscape of the term decidua remains poorly understood. We therefore profiled human leukocytes from term decidua collected via scheduled cesarean delivery. Relative to the first trimester, our analyses show a shift from NK cells and macrophages to T cells and enhanced immune activation. Although circulating and decidual T cells are phenotypically distinct, they demonstrate significant clonotype sharing. We also report significant diversity within decidual macrophages, the frequency of which positively correlates with pregravid maternal body mass index. Interestingly, the ability of decidual macrophages to respond to bacterial ligands is reduced with pregravid obesity, suggestive of skewing toward immunoregulation as a possible mechanism to safeguard the fetus against excessive maternal inflammation. These findings are a resource for future studies investigating pathological conditions that compromise fetal health and reproductive success.
