Das Prodekanat für Forschung würdigt jeden Monat UKE Autorinnen und Autoren einer herausragenden Publikation, die in den vorangegangenen 2 Monaten hochrangig publiziert wurde. Ziel ist es, die am UKE enstandenen Forschungsergebnisse mit ihrer Bedeutung in der Wissenschaft einer größeren Öffentlichkeit am UKE vorzustellen. Der Aufruf zur Teilnahme richtet sich an Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler aller Fachgebiete. Einreichungsfrist für eine Bewerbung um die Auszeichnung des "Paper of the Month" ist jeweils Ende eines Monats (siehe Bewerbungsformular).
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UKE Paper of the Month July 2025
Pregnancy-acquired memory CD4+ regulatory T cells improve pregnancy outcome in mice
Kristin Thiele, Christopher Urbschat, Julia Isabel Amambay Riquelme, Lisa Sophie Ahrendt, Ronja Wöhrle, Steven Schepanski, Judith Joana Eckert, Etienne Becht, Minyue Qi, Malik Alawi, Martin Becker, Nicola Gagliani, Hans-Willi Mittrücker, Anke Diemert & Petra Clara Arck
ABSTRACT:
Subsequent pregnancies are generally less prone to obstetric complications. A successful pregnancy outcome requires pivotal immunological adaptation to ensure immune tolerance towards the foetus. Thus, the lower risk for pregnancy complication during subsequent pregnancies may be attributable to immune memory mounted during first pregnancies. Here we identify higher frequencies of fetal-antigen-specific CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells both postpartum and in subsequent pregnancies in mice which are partly originating from trans-differentiated Th17 cells. Our functional experiments demonstrate that these CD4+ Treg cells have memory functions (CD4+ mTreg) and account for an improved fetal development and pregnancy outcome, also during adverse conditions, such as gestational sound stress. Using a high-throughput single-cell quantification method, we identify candidate markers for the detection of CD4+ mTreg cells, which include CXCR4 and CD274. Our findings thus contribute to the improved understanding of pregnancy-induced immune memory and foster the identification of immune targets aiming to reduce the risk for immune-mediated pregnancy complications
STATEMENT:
The existence of memory CD4+ regulatory T cells in the context of gestational memory has long been discussed, but experimental evidence are still sparse. Using various functional approaches, we could link the increased presence of CD4+ regulatory T cells in subsequent pregnancies to an improved pregnancy outcome. Further, we introduced the trans-differentiation of Th17 cells to CD4+ regulatory T cells as a potential independent mechanism to contribute to an ameliorated maternal immune adaptation and pregnancy outcome in subsequent pregnancies. Since reliable immune markers to specifically detect memory CD4+ regulatory T cells are still missing, we collaborated with a team of bioinformaticians to identify potential immune marker that will now need to be examined more in depth.d.
BACKGROUND:
This work was mainly conducted at Division for Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Petra Arck, together with several UKE departments, as well as national and international collaborations. The project was funded by a DFG-Research grant awarded to Petra Arck and the primary investigator Dr. Kristin Thiele (TH2126/1-1 and AR232/27-1). Further, three MD students performed parts of the overall project as their MD thesis who were either supported by the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung iPRIME scholarship or by a scholarship provided by the DFG research training group of the CRC1192.
Nature Communications 2025 Jul 15;16(1):6522.
Congratulations to all authors!
Next PoM: To apply, the publication must have been published in July 2025. Applications will be considered in two rounds of the selection process, i.e. two months. Please send your completed PoM application to Dr. Anne Wulf by 31/08/2025.