Identification of endometrial CD169+ macrophages essential for Treg cell accumulation and implantation

Successful pregnancy requires coordinated regulation between the innate and adaptive immune systems. Regulatory T (Treg) cells are essential for establishing maternal immune tolerance to the semi-allogeneic fetus, but the innate immune cells that modulate this process remain poorly defined. Here, we identify CD169<sup>+</sup> macrophages in the endometrium as critical regulators of Treg cell recruitment and implantation. These CD169<sup>+</sup> macrophages are endometrial localized, exhibit an anti-inflammatory phenotype, and secrete chemokines that attract Treg cells to the endometrium. We also identified CD169<sup>+</sup> macrophages in the human endometrium that express chemokines involved in Treg cell recruitment. Our findings identify endometrial CD169<sup>+</sup> macrophages as key orchestrators of Treg cell accumulation at the maternal-fetal interface, providing mechanistic insight into implantation and conceptus development.

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Publication Details

Journal
Cell Reports
Published
2026-02-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117040
Primary Topic
Reproductive System and Pregnancy
Type
article
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article

Identification of endometrial CD169+ macrophages essential for Treg cell accumulation and implantation

Kurara Honda, Mika Handa, Shingo Miyawaki, Jun Kohyama et al.
Cell Reports
Reproductive System and Pregnancy
article

Identification of endometrial CD169+ macrophages essential for Treg cell accumulation and implantation

Kurara Honda, Mika Handa, Shingo Miyawaki, Jun Kohyama, Masaki Takasu, Tsuyoshi Takiuchi, Hiromu Okaki, Tsukasa Sanosaka, Takeshi Goto, Hitoshi Tsugawa, Kazuhiro Watanabe, Takuto Ohki, Sota Saeki, Sadatoshi Maeda, Katsuhiro Tokutake, Kai Kitamura, Yuki Sugiura, Megumi G. Nakagawa, Tsunaki Higa, Hitoshi Hirata, Ryusuke Nakajima, Hiroki Yamazaki, Akihiro Hirata
article en

Abstract

Successful pregnancy requires coordinated regulation between the innate and adaptive immune systems. Regulatory T (Treg) cells are essential for establishing maternal immune tolerance to the semi-allogeneic fetus, but the innate immune cells that modulate this process remain poorly defined. Here, we identify CD169<sup>+</sup> macrophages in the endometrium as critical regulators of Treg cell recruitment and implantation. These CD169<sup>+</sup> macrophages are endometrial localized, exhibit an anti-inflammatory phenotype, and secrete chemokines that attract Treg cells to the endometrium. We also identified CD169<sup>+</sup> macrophages in the human endometrium that express chemokines involved in Treg cell recruitment. Our findings identify endometrial CD169<sup>+</sup> macrophages as key orchestrators of Treg cell accumulation at the maternal-fetal interface, providing mechanistic insight into implantation and conceptus development.

Cell ReportsVol. 45(3)
Tokai University (JP), Waseda University (JP), Keio University (JP), Central Institute for Experimental Animals (JP), Kyoto University (JP), Keio University Hospital (JP), Gifu University (JP), Nagoya University (JP), The University of Tokyo (JP), Teikyo University (JP), The University of Osaka (JP)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 50%
Reproductive System and Pregnancy
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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