High-Dose Interferon-[gamma] Promotes Abortion in Mice by Suppressing Treg and Th17 Polarization

Address correspondence to: Dr. Jing-Pian Peng, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P.R. China, E-mail: [email protected]

Introduction

Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) was first identified in phytohemagglutinin-activated lymphocyte supernatants due to the protein's distinctive antiviral activity (Wheelock and others 1965). As a typical type I cytokine, IFN-γ was found in supernatants from the first trimester of pregnancy but was barely detectable in the second trimester and undetectable in the third trimester (Lin and others 1993). The expression of protective immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in mice is mediated by T lymphocytes that secrete cytokines. Among these cytokines, IFN-γ is believed to play a key role (Cooper and others 1993). Previous studies have indicated the existence and positive role of IFN-γ in mammalian pregnancy. In the early 1990s, there were reports of weight loss and a high rate of resorption in IFN-γ-treated mice (Chaouat and others 1990; Mattsson and others 1992). This miscarriage-inducing effect of IFN-γ was both gestational age- and dose-dependent. These observations indicate that IFN-γ may be harmful to normal fetal development. However, the specific mechanism is still...