Altered cord blood gammadelta T cell repertoire in Nigeria: possible impacts of environmental factors on neonatal immunity.
Infectious diseases during pregnancy can impact the development of fetal immunity, leading to reduced neonatal resistance to infection and decreased responses to pediatric vaccines. Plasmodium falciparum causes placental infection in low parity pregnant women and is among the pathogens that affect fetal immunity. Recognizing the relationship between malaria and gammadelta T lymphocytes in adults, we asked whether neonatal gammadelta T cells would be altered in malaria-endemic regions as a marker for changes in fetal immunity. Our initial studies compared cord blood gammadelta T cells from deliveries to HIV- mothers in Jos (Nigeria) where malaria is endemic, or in Rome (Italy). We noted substantial differences in the Vgamma2 repertoire for cord blood collected in Jos or Rome; differences were consistent with a negative selection mechanism operating on the fetal Vgamma2 chain repertoire in neonates from Jos. A specific disruption affected the fraction of gammadelta T cells that we expect will respond to Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Fetal gammadelta T cell depletion might be a mechanism for impaired neonatal immunity and lowered responses to pediatric vaccines.
Cairo
Cristiana
C
Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, United States.
Propp
Nadia
N
Auricchio
Giovanni
G
Armstrong
Cheryl L
CL
Abimiku
Alash'le
A
Mancino
Giorgio
G
Colizzi
Vittorio
V
Blattner
William
W
Pauza
C David
CD
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002999:Clone Cells; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity / Q000276:immunology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009549:Nigeria; D009711:Nucleotides; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D012384:Rome
D009711:Nucleotides; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta