Expression of Early Activation Marker CD69 on Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes from Pregnant Women after First Trimester Alloimmunization

Abstract

We studied the expression of an early activation marker CD69 in peripheral blood lymphocytes of pregnant women with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss after immunization with paternal lymphocytes. Spontaneous and phytohemagglutinin-stimulated expression of CD69 on the surface of T cells and NK cells isolated from the peripheral blood was analyzed. On gestation week 5-6, the number of T cells expressing CD69 spontaneously and after stimulation was significantly higher in women with miscarriage than in woman with prolonged pregnancy. However, the number of cells with CD56⁺ phenotype expressing CD69 did not differ in these groups. No differences were found in the number of cells of all subpopulations expressing CD69 after stimulation on gestation week 12 in woman with full-term current pregnancy and in woman with physiological pregnancy.