Jelena Tomac
Rijeka, Croatia
My name is Jelena and I have 27 years. I live in Croatia, more precisely in Rijeka, a city on the northern coast of the Adriatic Sea, city marked by rich history, the ideal geographical location, multiculturalism and ope…
Seen in Cell
Viral infection of the ovaries compromises pregnancy and reveals innate immune mechanisms protecting fertility
Reporting style, Factual: Predominantly factual scientific research reporting experimental findings and measured outcomes.
Using murine cytomegalovirus as a model, the study shows that ovarian infection selectively targets corpus luteum cells while largely sparing follicular granulosa cells. Infection disrupts progesterone synthesis and increases progesterone degradation, causing pregnancy loss that can be partially reduced by progesterone supplementation. Follicles are protected by the blood-follicle barrier, gap-junction and cGAS-STING signaling, ovarian natural killer cells and macrophages, and especially type I interferon signaling, with IFNβ playing the dominant role. The findings clarify mechanisms linking viral infection to pregnancy loss while identifying innate immune processes that preserve future fertility.