title: Immunology of pregnancy: cellular mechanisms allowing fetal survival within the maternal uterus.
abstract: Pregnancy success remains a fascinating phenomenon to immunologists as it defies the immunological rules of rejection. Although it was previously thought that the maternal immune system does not see the fetus, it is now well documented that fetal cells reach the maternal body and encounter host immune cells. Natural tolerance mechanisms following this interaction remain to be fully elucidated. This article reviews the current literature on mechanisms of adaptive immunity, with emphasis on regulatory T cells and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1). We propose a scenario in which regulatory T cells create a tolerant microenvironment at the fetal-maternal interface characterised by the presence of tolerance-associated molecules such as HO-1, which has been shown to be of vital importance for fetal survival.
authors.affiliation: AG Reproduktionsimmunologie, Institut für Medizinische Immunologie, Charite, Medizinische Universität zu Berlin, Germany. ana.zenclussen@charite.de
authors.forename: Ana Claudia
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Zenclussen
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: Maria Laura
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Zenclussen
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wafula
authors.forename: Hans-Dieter
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Volk
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000276:immunology*; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology; D014599:Uterus
chemical_list: D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1