title: Pregnancy, HLA allogeneic challenge, and implications for AIDS etiology.
abstract: Because of the large HLA genetic polymorphism, a human fetus usually has several paternal HLA antigens allogeneic to its mother. The maternal gamma-immunoglobulin (IgG) antibody response to fetal HLA alloantigens is noncytotoxic and associated with local suppression of maternal cell-mediated immunity (CMI) at the maternal-fetal interface. When mother and fetus are syngeneic for most HLA antigens, an increased risk exists for a maternal anti-placental cytotoxic CMI responses, compromising fetal survival. Local suppression of maternal CMI by an anti-HLA IgG response may have evolved to protect the fetoplacental unit from a maternal CMI cytotoxic reaction against expressed developmental neoantigens. A negative aspect of this adaptive response is that infectious organisms bearing HLA-homologous alloantigens (e.g. human immunodeficiency virus type 1, HIV-1) may generate a systemic IgG response suppressing CMI. Findings are reviewed suggesting this is an etiologic factor in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Biostatistics & Epidemiology Core Unit, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile 36640-0130, USA. choff@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoff
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D018448:Models, Immunological; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens