Microchimerism and skin disease: true-true unrelated?
Microchimerism, the stable presence of foreign cells in an individual, may result from trafficking during pregnancy or from organ or hematopoietic transplantation, and has been hypothesized to cause autoimmunity and certain skin diseases. Yet microchimeric cells are found in normal individuals and may be important to tissue repair. Thus microchimerism may be common, and finding microchimeric cells in diseased as well as normal tissue may be a "true-true unrelated" situation.
Gilliam
Anita C
AC
Department of Dermatology, Case/University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-5028, USA. anita.gilliam@case.edu
D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000235:genetics; D002465:Cell Movement; D002678:Chimera; D046528:Chimerism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology