TY  - JOUR
AU  - Seefried, Marina C
AU  - Lurtz, Ines
AU  - Mittelberger, Johanna
AU  - Franitza, Manuela
AU  - Bubmann, Jonas
AU  - Wild, Carl Mathis
AU  - Ditsch, Nina
AU  - Urban, Birgit
AU  - Kuhn, Christina
AU  - Dannecker, Christian
AU  - Altevogt, Peter
AU  - Jeschke, Udo
AU  - Sammar, Marei
TI  - Immune checkpoints TIM-3 and Gal-9 are upregulated in male placentas with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.
JO  - Journal of reproductive immunology
VL  - 172
SN  - 0165-0378
CY  - Oxford
PB  - Oxford University Press
M1  - DKFZ-2025-02279
SP  - 104797
PY  - 2025
AB  - New data indicate an increased risk of obstetric complications after Covid-19, the aim of this study was therefore to investigate the expression of immune checkpoint molecules TIM-3 and Gal-9 in tissue sections of placenta from patients with acute Covid-19, from patients after Covid-19 infection and from healthy controls. We used a total of 60 placentas from women who had given birth to female or male children at Augsburg University Hospital, Germany. We examined 10 placentas each with acute Covid-19 from female and male fetuses, 10 placentas each from female and male fetuses after acute Covid-19 and 10 placentas each from female and male fetuses of a healthy control group. Immunohistochemical staining against TIM-3 and Gal-9 was performed, and marker expression was assessed by an immunoreactive score (IRS). The identity of cells expressing TIM-3 or Gal-9 was then analyzed by double immunofluorescence analysis. TIM-3- and Gal-9 positive macrophages are significantly upregulated in the decidua of female acute Covid-19 placentas. TIM-3 is significantly up-regulated in male extravillous trophoblast cells in the acute phase of Covid-19. On the other hand, TIM-3 was significantly downregulated in Hofbauer cells from male placentas after Covid-19. Gal-9, the ligand for TIM-3, was significantly downregulated in Hofbauer cells from male placentas after Covid-19. Triple immunofluorescence analysis showed that male acute Covid-19 Hofbauer cells (analyzed by CD163 staining) were positive for both TIM-3 and Gal-9. Surprisingly, the observed effects were related to fetal sex. In particular, the formative effect of this infection needs to be analyzed in further studies.
KW  - CD163 (Other)
KW  - Extravillous trophoblast (Other)
KW  - Gal-9 (Other)
KW  - Macrophages (Other)
KW  - SARS-CoV-2 infection (Other)
KW  - TIM-3 (Other)
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:41187439
DO  - DOI:10.1016/j.jri.2025.104797
UR  - https://inrepo02.dkfz.de/record/305637
ER  -