Choriocarcinoma cells modulate the cytokine production of decidual large granular lymphocytes in coculture

PROBLEM: How do major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I positive/negative choriocarcinoma (CC) cells affect the production of tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), interleukin‐10 (IL‐10), interleukin‐4 (IL‐4), and granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) by decidual CD56⁺⁺ cells (large granular lymphocytes [LGL]), LGL‐depleted decidual cells (WASH) and unseparated decidual cells (DEC) in cocultures?
METHOD OF STUDY: Decidual tissue was obtained by legal abortions. CD 56⁺⁺ LGL were isolated in a magnetic cell separator. Cytokines were measured by ELISA. Differences were analyzed for significance by Wilcoxons test.
RESULTS: We found a significant increase of IL‐10 in LGL/JEG‐3 and of TNF‐α in LGL/JAR cocultures compared to noncocultured decidual cells. There was a significant increase of IL‐10 and TNF‐α and a significant decrease of GM‐CSF in WASH and DEC cocultures with both JEG‐3 and JAR. IFN‐γ was only found in 3/11 cases of LGL/JAR cocultures. No IL‐4 was found in any experiment.
CONCLUSION: MHC class I positive/negative CC modulate the cytokine production of decidual LGL in different ways.