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UNK cells: their role in tissue re-modelling and preeclampsia

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Abstract

In different species of mammal, uterine natural killer (uNK) cells are massively recruited and presented at the fetal maternal interface with a spatio-temporal pattern, and regarded as a constructive element to support reproductive development. Recent insights highlight the uNK cells activation, function and interaction with local compartments, which all contribute to the initiation of vascular structural changes. New trends of uNK cells research will benefit the diagnosis, management and test treatment strategy of preeclampsia. Furthermore, we suggest that more efforts and specific studies are needed to further explore the role of uNK cells at the unique micro-environment.

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Acknowledgment

This work is supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30630059, 30528007, 30570819, 30571695 and 30500467) and Ministry of Science & Technology of China (973 Basic Science Project nos. 2006CB504300 and #2006CB806504).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Immunology, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230027, Hefei, China

    Jianhong Zhang & Zhigang Tian

  2. School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, 443 Huangshan Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China

    Jianhong Zhang & Zhigang Tian

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  1. Jianhong Zhang
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  2. Zhigang Tian
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Correspondence to Zhigang Tian.

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Zhang, J., Tian, Z. UNK cells: their role in tissue re-modelling and preeclampsia. Semin Immunopathol 29, 123–133 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00281-007-0068-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00281-007-0068-1

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