title: Maternal microchimerism in health and disease.
abstract: Circulating maternal cells transfer to the fetus during pregnancy, where they may integrate with the fetal immune and organ systems, creating a state of maternal microchimerism (MMc). MMc can persist throughout the child's life, and it has been implicated in the triggering or perpetuation of chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases, in the context of specific major histocompatibility genes. Correlative data in humans have now been tested in animal model systems. Results suggest that maternal-fetal tolerance may have health implications far beyond the time of pregnancy and into the child's life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1900 9th Ave N, 9S-7, Seattle, WA 98101, USA. Electronic address: anne.stevens@seattlechildrens.org.
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Stevens
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D046528:Chimerism / Q000196:embryology*; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology; D007249:Inflammation; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000276:immunology; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D016753:Interleukin-10
keywords: alloimmunity; autoimmunity; maternal; microchimerism