Placental protein 14 functions as a direct T-cell inhibitor

Human placental protein 14 (PP14, also referred to as glycodelin and progesterone-associated endometrial protein) inhibits phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated T-cell proliferation and monokine secretion within PBMC populations. However, the mechanisms underlying these and other PP14 immunoinhibitory activities remain unclear. In the present study, we asked whether PP14's T-cell inhibitory effect is a direct one or, alternatively, an indirect consequence of accessory cell (AC) perturbation. Using either immunopurified PP14 or first-trimester amniotic fluid (AF) as a rich source of PP14, we documented inhibition of the proliferation of highly purified peripheral blood T-cells when stimulated with anti-CD3 mAbs or PHA in the presence of paraformaldehyde-fixed AC. Significantly, PP14 inhibited T-cell proliferation and IL-2 secretion induced by immobilized anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 mAbs in the absence of AC. PP14 depletion (via immunoprecipitation) abrogated AF's T-cell inhibitory activity, indicating that the PP14 within the amniotic fluid is required for this immunoregulatory effect. These findings establish that PP14 can inhibit T-cell proliferation in the absence of AC and thus add PP14 to the relatively restricted set of immunoinhibitory proteins that are known to target T-cells directly. Additional data demonstrate that PP14's inhibitory effect can be overridden by stimuli which circumvent early events during T-cell receptor (TCR) activation, namely, protein kinase C activators in combination with Ca2+ ionophores. These latter results suggest that PP14 inhibits early events in the TCR signaling pathway.