Granulated metrial gland cells: hypotheses concerning possible functions during murine gestation

Granulated metrial gland (GMG) cells are morphologically distinctive lymphoid cells found in the murine uterus only during gestation. The life history of GMG cells suggests that they have important roles during mammalian gestation but these roles have been difficult to define. Genetic and immunologic data suggest that GMG cells may be a specialized subset of natural killer (NK) lymphocytes. This has directed research on GMG cell functions towards questions of effector cell-target cell interactions. A broader range of potential functions is discussed and shifts in functional roles played by GMG cells are proposed over the course of gestation.