Three-dimensional reconstruction of leukocyte internalisation in the luminal uterine epithelium following mating.
Exp Cell Res
; 386(2): 111727, 2020 01 15.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31759054
ABSTRACT
Following mating, leukocytes are recruited to the uterine epithelium where they phagocytose spermatozoa and mediate maternal immune tolerance as well as a mild inflammatory response. In this ultrastructural study we utilised array tomography, a high-resolution volume scanning electron microscopy approach to 3D reconstruct the cellular relationships formed by leukocytes recruited to the luminal uterine epithelium 12 h post-mating in the rat. We report that following mating, neutrophils and macrophages are internalised by the luminal uterine epithelium, with multiple leukocytes internalised via contortion through a small tunnel in the apical membrane into a large membrane-bound vacuole within the cytoplasm of luminal uterine epithelial cells (UECs). Once internalised within the UECs, recruited leukocytes appear to phagocytose material within the membrane-bound vacuole and most ultimately undergo a specialised cell death, including vacuolisation and loss of membrane integrity. As these observations involve ultrastructurally normal leukocytic cells internalised within non-phagocytic epithelial cells, these observations are consistent with the formation of cell-in-cell structures via entosis, rather than phagocytic engulfment by UECs. Although cell-in-cell structures have been reported in normal and pathological conditions elsewhere, the data collected herein represents the first evidence of the formation of cell-in-cell structures within the uterine epithelium as a novel component of the maternal inflammatory response to mating.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Útero
/
Copulação
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Células Epiteliais
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Epitélio
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Entose
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Leucócitos
Limite:
Animals
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Pregnancy
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Exp Cell Res
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article