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Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Isolation of Leukocytes from the Murine Tissues at the Maternal-Fetal Interface
Published on: May 21, 2015
Membrane progesterone receptors in human regulatory T cells: a reality in pregnancy
A Areia1, S Vale-Pereira2, V Alves2
1Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra and Obstetric Unit, Coimbra University Hospital Centre, Coimbra, Portugal.
Objective:
To provide evidence of the existence of membrane progesterone receptor alpha (mPRα) on regulatory T cells (Treg) in peripheral blood during pregnancy, postulating a possible explanation for the effect of progesterone on preterm birth.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Tertiary Obstetric Department in a University Hospital.
Population:
Healthy pregnant women.
Methods:
Treg cells from peripheral blood samples were studied by flow cytometry using multiple monoclonal antibody expression.
Main Outcome Measures:
Evaluate the number and percentage of CD4(+) CD25(high) CD127(low) , the number and percentage of Treg cells among the total CD4(+) T cells, and the percentage and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of mPRα in that population, using several gating strategies.
Results:
43 peripheral blood samples were collected from healthy women during pregnancy, whose median gestational age was 28.7 ± 7.1 (16-40) weeks. The percentage of CD4(+) in the total lymphocytes was 43% (32-51) and the percentage of CD4(+) CD25(high) CD127(low) was 4.8% (1.6-5.9), with only 45% (16-72) of those cells expressing the intracellular marker FoxP3 (Treg cell pool). We confirmed the existence of mPRα in that specific population because 8.0% (2.02-33) of the Treg cells were marked with the specific monoclonal antibody, with an mPRα(+) MFI of 719 (590-1471).
Conclusions:
This research shows that Treg cells express mPRα during pregnancy, which might play an important role in immune modulation by progesterone.
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