Toxoplasma gondii Causes Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes by Damaging Uterine Tissue-Resident NK Cells That Secrete Growth-Promoting Factors

Abstract

Abstract Vertical transmission of the intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes especially when infection occurs in early pregnancy. Decidual natural killer (dNK) cells accumulate at the maternal-fetal interface in large numbers during early pregnancy. Their nutritional roles during infection with T. gondii remain poorly defined. In the present study, we demonstrated that a functional deficiency of the uterine tissue-resident NK (trNK) cells, a subset of dNK cells, contributes to the adverse pregnancy outcomes induced by T. gondii in early pregnancy. Adverse pregnancy outcomes could be ameliorated by adoptive transfer of trNK cells. Moreover, fetal growth restriction could be improved after supplementation of growth-promoting factors. In addition to the widely recognized disturbance of the immune balance at the interface between the mother and the fetus, our study reveals a novel mechanism in T. gondii that contributes to the adverse pregnancy outcomes.