multiplex immunohistochemistry for uterine nk cell subtype analysis in endometrial tissues

Exploring Uterine NK Cell Heterogeneity in the Endometrium with Multiplex IHC

The first documented live birth after in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) was reported in 1978. Over the past 40 years, there has been a high demand for the assistance of IVF-ET among infertile couples1. In 2021, 238,126 patients initiated a total of 413,776 IVF cycles in the United States. This marks a 25% increase in cycles from 2 years prior and a 135% increase from 20122. This surge is mainly attributed to the rising prevalence of infertility and delayed planning for pregnancy. Advancements in embryo culture techniques and superovulation protocols have led to an increased live birth rate per ET cycle, reaching 30%-50% in women less than 40 years old and less than 30% in women older than 40 years2. However, despite these advancements, over half of transferred embryos still fail to implant. Repeated implantation failure (RIF), typically defined as failure after three or more consecutive attempts of transferring high-quality embryos, affects 15% of women who undergo IVF-ET3. Couples with RIF are extremely vulnerable and more prone to undergo expensive and unnecessary procedures that can expose them to undue risks4. Therefore, understanding the causes of RIF and improving embryo implantation is crucial to enhance the success of IVF-ET, particularly for women with RIF. The preparation of endometrium is critical for successful embryo implantation. This process is characterized by a significant accumulation of uterine natural killer (uNK) cells, which transition from constituting 30% of total lymphocytes in the endometrium during mid-secretory phase to 70%-80% in the decidua during early pregnancy5. Notably, uNK cells differ from peripheral NK cells, which are cytotoxic lymphocytes critical to the innate immune system for causing the death of the infected cells through lysis or apoptosis. While the exact functions of uNK cells are not yet fully understood, several lines of evidence suggest that they are involved in angiogenesis remodeling, trophoblast invasion, and fetal development6. The association between the percentage of uNK cells over stromal cells and RIF has garnered extensive attraction over the past 20 years. A recent meta-analysis, which included 8 studies involving 604 women, demonstrated that the density of CD56+uNK cells during the mid-luteal phase is significantly increased in women with RIF compared to fertile controls7. However, it is important to note that the characteristics of uNK cells during the mid-luteal phase differ significantly from those of decidual NK (dNK) cells. Although uNK cells may further differentiate into various subsets of dNK cells post-pregnancy, measuring uNK cells alone does not accurately represent dNK cells8. uNK cells undergo dynamic differentiation and play different roles in the menstrual cycle and decidualization processes, making them more complex than can be identified by CD56 alone. Multiple markers are required to achieve a comprehensive understanding of uNK cell behavior during endometrial preparation. Our recent study employed single-cell RNA sequencing to identify the diversity of uNK cells throughout menstrual cycles. The results, validated using flow cytometry, have shown the presence of four distinct subtypes of uNK cells, each exhibiting dynamic changes during the menstrual cycle9. Gene enrichment analysis and gene ontology functional enrichment indicate these uNK subsets fulfill different functions at various stages of menstruation. Nevertheless, flow cytometry is not universally accessible in clinical laboratories, and the immediate processing of fresh endometrial tissue for enzyme digestion renders it impossible to repeat experimental steps upon errors.
The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate the measurement of these four subpopulations of NK cells using a multiplex staining assay, which provides a more practical diagnostic approach. In multiple staining, different specific antibodies against each target are linked to different fluorophore labels that emit different wavelengths of light when excited by a specific wavelength of light. Compared to the traditional IHC staining method, this method can quantitatively compare the relative abundance and distribution of multiple targets in a sample and provide information on the interaction and co-localization of different targets, enabling us to identify different subtypes of uNK cells. This approach will not only deepen our understanding of the relationship between uNK cells and RIF but will also provide insights for investigating other immune cell subpopulations in endometrial-related diseases.

Author Spotlight: Multiplex Immunohistochemistry for Understanding Immune Regulation by Uterine NK Cells in Pregnancy

Measurement of Four Uterine NK Cell Subtypes Using Multiplexed Fluorescent Immunohistochemical Staining in Women with Repeated Implantation Failure

Uterine NK cells dramatically accumulate during the mid-luteal phase, prepared for embryo implantation. Notably, these cells are heterogeneous. Accurately identifying their phenotypes is crucial for understanding their roles in endometrial receptivity.Our study aims to detect four subtypes of uterine NK cells using multiplex immunohistochemistry staining. Immunohistochemistry staining has been widely used to measure uterine NK cell density in women with reproductive failure. However, this traditional technology does not effectively distinguish between different subtypes of uterine NK cells.Our protocol, using multiplex immunohistochemistry staining, offers an advanced approach to identify four distinct subtypes of uterine NK cells. With the implementation of this protocol, we will evaluate the differences in uterine NK cell subtypes between women with repeated implantation failure and the fertile controls. If significant differences are identified, we will proceed to investigate whether these uterine NK cell subtypes can predict the risk of implantation failure.Ultimately, our long-term goal is to develop a diagnostic test to assess the immune status of uterine NK cells for endometrial receptivity.

Multiplex Immunohistochemistry for Uterine NK Cell Subtype Analysis in Endometrial Tissues

To begin, obtain the human endometrial tissue section on a glass slide for multiplex immunohistochemistry, and bake the tissue sections at 60 degrees Celsius for two hours. Subsequently, immerse the slide sequentially in appropriate solutions for dewaxing, hydration, and fixation. Add 200 milliliters of the respective AR6 or AR9 buffer for each antibody to a heat-resistant antigen retrieval cassette.After placing the sections in the antigen retrieval buffer, heat them in a microwave on high power until boiling. Cover the cassette loosely, and heat on low power for 15 minutes. After the slide cools down, rinse it with double distilled water, followed by PBST.Then remove the excess solution with absorbent paper, and draw a complete circle around the tissue with a hydrophobic barrier pen. Then incubate the sections with 3%hydrogen peroxide for eight minutes at room temperature. Next, apply a blocking solution, and incubate for 10 minutes at room temperature.After removing the blocking solution, apply 150 microliters of the first primary antibody, CD49a, to each slide at a dilution of 1 to 1000 in 1x antibody diluent. Before applying the secondary antibody, remove excess moisture using absorbent paper. Add four to five drops of the 1x anti-mouse and rabbit horseradish peroxidase secondary antibody onto each slide.Then dilute the tyramide signal amplification or the TSA dye 1 to 100 times in the amplification diluent. And add 150 microliters of this diluted solution to each slide and incubate. To eliminate unbound fluorophores, boil the sections in 200 milliliters of AR6 buffer within a heat resistant cassette in a microwave for two minutes.Then turn the microwave from high power to low power for 15 minutes. Add 150 microliters of DAPI working solution diluted in PBST dropwise. Dry the sections entirely in a dark area for approximately 30 minutes.Apply a single drop of the anti-quenching fluorescent mountant, and carefully place a coverslip.

multiplex-immunohistochemistry-for-uterine-nk-cell-subtype-analysis

Research

JoVE Journal

Medicine

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) plays a crucial role in biological research and clinical diagnosis, serving as the most commonly used method for identifying and visualizing tissue antigens. However, traditional IHC staining methods have limitations in distinguishing various subtypes of immune cells. This challenge has driven scientists to explore new technologies and methodologies for precise identification and differentiation of immune cell subtypes. In recent years, multiplex IHC has emerged as a solution, enabling the simultaneous detection of multiple antigens and their visualization within the same tissue sample. Uterine natural killer (uNK) cells play a pivotal role in early pregnancy processes, including decidualization, remodeling of uterine spiral arteries, and embryo implantation. Different subtypes of uNK cells exhibit different functions, allowing them to coordinate various biological events for successful embryo development and pregnancy. Therefore, in-depth research on uNK cell subtypes is essential for elucidating immune regulation mechanisms during pregnancy. Such studies provide valuable insights and novel approaches for addressing related conditions such as infertility and recurrent reproductive failure. This paper introduces a detailed multiplex IHC staining protocol for studying the density of four subtypes of uNK cells in endometrial specimens during the window of implantation (WOI). The protocol includes sample preparation, optimization of subtype markers, microscopic imaging, and data analyses. This multiplex IHC staining protocol offers high specificity and sensitivity, enabling simultaneous detection of different uNK cell subtypes, thus providing researchers with a powerful tool to explore the intricacies and mechanisms of immune regulation during pregnancy.

This study presents a pioneering method for quantifying uterine natural killer cell subsets during the window of implantation using advanced multiplexed fluorescent immunohistochemical staining techniques.

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) plays a crucial role in biological research and clinical diagnosis, serving as the most commonly used method for identifying ...

Image Acquisition After Multiplex Immuno-Staining for Distinguishing uNK Cell Subtypes in Endometrial Tissues

To begin, stain the mounted endometrial tissue sections with the desired antibodies. Turn on the imager and select appropriate fluorophores based on TSA dyes. Manually focus on an area of the slide that shows a fair exposure of each marker and use the auto-exposure feature to set the exposure time for that fluorophore.To ensure unbiased sampling, randomly select the initial area for image acquisition with a focus on the luminal epithelial border. After capturing the initial field, move one field left or right to select subsequent areas, skipping one field between each image captured. Maintain the luminal epithelial border within the frame to capture at least five different areas to include around 10, 000 stromal cells.TSA monoplex and multiplex staining revealed clear colocalization of NK cell markers, allowing the identification of distinct NK cell populations. The multiplex strategy used fluorescent dyes with distant wavelengths to avoid spectral overlap and ensure clear background, confirming signal specificity.

Image Analysis to Characterize uNK Cell Subtypes in Early Pregnancy Using Multiplex Immunohistochemistry

To begin, image the endometrial tissue sections after staining with appropriate antibodies. To import multispectral images, navigate to File and then Open image in the software interface. Click Select Fluorophores and choose the appropriate spectral library to unmix the fluorophores and click OK to confirm.Isolate the autofluorescence spectrum using the AF eyedropper tool to sample a representative tissue area from the AF image and label the four cell surface markers and assign specific colors for identification. Click Prepare Image or Prepare All to finalize preparation. For tissue segmentation, manually delineate three to five regions per tissue type, including epithelial, stromal, and blank areas.Adjust regions and parameters as needed to improve the training dataset, enhancing the software's accuracy in identifying tissue structures. Under segment cells, select Nuclei and Membrane. Choose DAPI to identify cell nuclei and adjust the intensity setting to detect all cell nuclei without background noise.Select CD16, CD49A, and CD56 signals to find the membrane and assist in nuclear splitting. Use the nuclear component splitting feature to distinguish closely-located nuclei. In the phenotyping scheme, adopt the CD56, CD49A, CXCR4, and CD16 markers for cell phenotyping.Use the Add button to categorize cells as positively or negatively expressing each marker. Manually label at least five cells for each phenotype during the training process. After configuring cell phenotyping, the software will indicate the expression of surface markers for each cell.Export the data to a spreadsheet for further analysis. The novel classification strategy identified four NK cell subtypes based on the expression of CD49A and CXCR4.