ArticleNature communications2023
IL-21R-STAT3 signalling initiates a differentiation program in uterine tissue-resident NK cells to support pregnancy.
Article in Nature communications, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Weighted Single-Step GWAS Reveals Genetic Mechanisms Underlying Pregnancy Loss in Early Nellore Heifers.Animal genetics · 2026Article
- Mechanism of Shoutai Wan against recurrent spontaneous abortion: regulation of decidual vascular remodeling via ERβ-ANGPT2 signaling axis.Functional & integrative genomics · 2026Article
- Inhibition of NFAT after human uterus transplant promotes loss of tissue-resident NK cells and attendant pregnancy complications.Science translational medicine · 2026Article
- Partial embryo loss caused by disruption of the placental hormone CTRP6 coincides with dNK cell abnormalities during pregnancy.iScience · 2026Article
- Dual Role of Natural Killer Cells in Early Pregnancy: Immunopathological Implications and Therapeutic Potential in Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion and Recurrent Implantation Failure.Cell proliferation · 2025Review
- Natural killer cells adopt an activated and decidual-like phenotype after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with cancer.Communications medicine · 2025Article
- Autocrine TGF-β1 drives tissue-specific differentiation and function of resident NK cells.The Journal of experimental medicine · 2025Article
- Unraveling NK cell heterogeneity through single-cell sequencing: insights from physiological and tumor contexts for clinical applications.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Dynamics of NK cell subsets following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in adult oncologic patients.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Multi-Layered Mechanisms of Immunological Tolerance at the Maternal-Fetal Interface.Immune network · 2024Review
- Basic Research Advances in China on Embryo Implantation, Placentation, and Parturition.Maternal-fetal medicine (Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Tissue-resident Natural Killer (trNK) cells are crucial components of local immunity that activate rapidly upon infection. However, under steady state conditions, their responses are tightly controlled to prevent unwanted tissue damage. The mechanisms governing their differentiation and activation are not fully understood. Here, we characterise uterine trNK cells longitudinally during pregnancy by single cell RNA sequencing and find that the combined expression pattern of 4-1BB and CD55 defines their three distinct stages of differentiation in mice. Mechanistically, an IL-21R-STAT3 axis is essential for initiating the trNK cell differentiation. The fully differentiated trNK cells demonstrate enhanced functionality, which is necessary for remodelling spiral arteries in the decidua. We identify an apoptotic program that is specific to the terminal differentiation stage, which may preclude tissue damage by these highly activated trNK cells. In summary, uterine trNK cells become intensely active and effective during pregnancy, but tightly controlled via a differentiation program that also limits potential harm, suggesting an intricate mechanism for harnessing trNK cells in maintaining pregnancy.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.