Assessment of sperm antigen specific T regulatory cells in women with recurrent miscarriage

Abstract Background and aims The prevalence of recurrent miscarriage (RM) is about 1–3% of women; the pathogenesis of RM is not fully understood yet. This study aims to assess the sperm antigen specific regulatory T cells (Treg) in women with RM. Methods A group of women with RM was recruited into this study. The sperm antigen was extracted from the semen samples of each woman's husband. The sperm antigen specific T cell response was assessed by flow cytometry. Results Low frequency of sperm specific Tregs and high frequency of T helper (Th)1 cells were detected in RM women as compared with women without RM. The sperm specific Tregs in RM women expressed less Ubc13. Knockdown of Ubc13 from Tregs converted the Tregs to effector T cells. Conclusions Immune deregulation may play an important role in RM.