Molecular signature and functional analysis of uterine ILCs in mouse pregnancy

In addition to natural killer cells, other innate lymphoid cells have recently been identified in the mouse and human uterus, but their roles in successful pregnancy remain poorly defined. In this study, we examined the dynamic changes of uterine innate lymphoid cells throughout pregnancy in mice. We found that the total number of uterine innate lymphoid cells markedly increased at early-gestation. Among the three groups of uterine innate lymphoid cells, the number of the group 2 uterine innate lymphoid cells increased the most during pregnancy. We also determined that the depletion of uterine innate lymphoid cells in Rag1−/− mice resulted in impaired uterine spiral artery remodeling. These results suggest that uterine innate lymphoid cells may play an important role in mouse reproduction.