# PROGESTERONE-INDUCED UTERINE IMMUNOREGULATORY PROTEINS

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 1994 · $60,817

## Abstract

The ability of progesterone to inhibit the immune system may be an
important function of this pregnancy hormone: the conceptus is an
allogeneic tissue that would be immunologically rejected without
alteration in maternal immune responses.  The immunosuppressive actions
of progesterone can also have negative consequences by promoting genital
tract infections.  Using the sheep as a model, many effects of
progesterone on uterine immunity appear to be mediated indirectly through
induction of uterine secretory products that modulate lymphocyte
function.  The most abundant of these is a pair of related glycoproteins
of the serpin superfamily of serine protease inhibitors called the
uterine milk proteins (UTM-proteins).  The long-term goal of the proposed
research is to understand how progesterone alters uterine immune function
and use this information to limit conceptus mortality and growth
reduction associated with immunologic causes and to decrease the
incidence of genital tract infections.  The immediate goal is to
rigorously test the thesis that the UTM-proteins play an important role
in mediating effects of progesterone on immune function.  The approach
will be to test whether the UTM-proteins can cause effects on uterine
immune function previously shown to be induced by progesterone and
evaluate whether UTM-proteins can alter other aspects of in vivo immune
responses.  For Objective 1, it will be tested whether co-administration
of UTM-proteins reduces antibody formation in response to immunization to
a T-dependent antigen, ovalbumin.  For Objective 2, effects of
UTM-proteins on delayed hypersensitivity reactions to intradermal
challenge with purified protein derivative in ewes previously immunized
against Mycobacterium tuberculosis will be evaluated.  The ability of
UTM-proteins to prolong survival of intrauterine skin grafts will be
evaluated for Objective 3 and effects of UTM-proteins on lymphocyte
subpopulations and antibody production in the uterine endometrium will be
examined for Objective 4. For Objective 5, the mouse will be used as a
model to evaluate whether treatment with UTM-proteins reduces the
severity of the graft vs. host reaction, skin graft rejection response
and natural-killer cell mediated abortion induced by poly (I).poly (Cl2U)
administration.  The objectives listed above will provide an unambiguous
test of whether the UTM-proteins possess immunoregulatory properties and
are critically important to test the thesis that progesterone exerts its
primary inhibitory actions on uterine immunity through the production of
uterine-derived and locally-acting immunosuppressive substances.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2199929
- **Project number:** 5R01HD026421-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **SAM.gov UEI:** NNFQH1JAPEP3
- **Principal Investigator:** PETER J HANSEN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $60,817
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1990-08-01 → 1996-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2199929

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2199929, PROGESTERONE-INDUCED UTERINE IMMUNOREGULATORY PROTEINS (5R01HD026421-04). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2199929. Licensed CC0.

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