The role of chorionic PGRMC2 and HLA-G in maintaining immune homeostasis at the chorio-decidual interface

The chorio-decidual interface (CDi) is formed by chorion trophoblasts (CTCs) and immune cell-rich decidua (DECs) cells. The roles of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G and progesterone receptor membrane component 2 (PGRMC2) in mediating innate immune homeostasis at this maternal-fetal interface interface were investigated. The CDi was recreated in a microfluidic device (CDi-on-chip) with an outer chamber of DECs and innate immune cells (70:30 ratio) and an inner chamber of wild-type (WT) or KO CTCs interconnected by microchannels. After device preparation and cell seeding, DECs were treated with LPS and pIC, respectively, for 48 hours. To mimic fetal (fOS) and maternal oxidative stress (mOS), CTCs and DECs were treated with CSE, respectively. Expression levels of inflammation and immunity genes were determined via targeted RNA sequencing.