title: Maternal transmission of resistance to development of allergic airway disease.
abstract: Parental phenotype is known to influence the inheritance of atopic diseases, such as allergic asthma, with a maternal history being a more significant risk factor for progeny than paternal history. We hypothesized that recall Th1- or Th2-type immune responses during pregnancy would result in transfer of maternal factors that would differentially impact development of immune responsiveness in offspring. Following weaning, susceptibility and severity of allergic airway disease (a murine model of human asthma) was evaluated in progeny, disease being elicited by immunization with OVA-Al(OH)(3) and challenge with aerosolized OVA. We found that progeny of mothers with Th1-biased immunity to OVA subjected to recall aerosol challenge during pregnancy had reduced levels of Ag-specific IgE and airway eosinophilia compared with progeny of mothers with Th2-biased immunity to OVA or naive mothers. Interestingly, progeny of mothers with Th1-type immunity to a heterologous albumin, BSA, were not protected from developing OVA-induced allergic airway disease. These findings demonstrated that maternal transfer of protection from development of allergic airway disease to offspring in this model of maternal Th1-type immunity was Ag specific.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA.
authors.forename: Adam P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Matson
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Elizabeth G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Lingenheld
authors.forename: Craig M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Schramm
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Dawn M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Selander
authors.forename: Roger S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Thrall
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Breen
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Puddington
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D007107:Immune System / Q000196:embryology*; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D010047:Ovalbumin