SOX4 Mediated Differentiation of Specific T Lymphocyte Subsets at the Maternal-Fetal Interface Contributes to Preterm Labor [RNA-Seq]

T lymphocyte are major players of the adaptive immune system and balance tolerance and protection at the maternal-fetal interface. Here we integrated single-cell RNA sequencing and single-cell ATAC sequencing analyses of human decidua basalis and decidua parietalis from term and preterm labor to depict the composition of T cells at the maternal-fetal interface during late pregnancy.

Our research identified CD8-naïve-SOX4 subset associated with preterm labor, which showed a significant decrease of proportion in the basalis decidua of preterm labor. The transcription factor SOX4 was specifically expressed in naïve CD8+ T cells and was significantly downregulated in the CD8-naïve-SOX4 subset in the decidua basalis of preterm labor. Mechanically, SOX4 plays a pivotal role in mediating T cell differentiation and promotes the differentiation of naïve CD8+ T cells into effector CD8+ T cells in the preterm labor based on pseudotime analysis.