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Barth C, de Lange AMG. Towards an understanding of women's brain aging: the immunology of pregnancy and menopause. Front Neuroendocrinol 2020; 58:100850. [PMID: 32504632 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Women are at significantly greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and show higher prevalence of autoimmune conditions relative to men. Women's brain health is historically understudied, and little is therefore known about the mechanisms underlying epidemiological sex differences in neurodegenerative diseases, and how female-specific factors may influence women's brain health across the lifespan. In this review, we summarize recent studies on the immunology of pregnancy and menopause, emphasizing that these major immunoendocrine transition phases may play a critical part in women's brain aging trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Barth
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Ann-Marie G de Lange
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK.
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Johnson BN, Ehli EA, Davies GE, Boomsma DI. Chimerism in health and potential implications on behavior: A systematic review. Am J Med Genet A 2020; 182:1513-1529. [PMID: 32212323 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.61565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In this review, we focus on the phenomenon of chimerism and especially microchimerism as one of the currently underexplored explanations for differences in health and behavior. Chimerism is an amalgamation of cells from two or more unique zygotes within a single organism, with microchimerism defined by a minor cell population of <1%. This article first presents an overview of the primary techniques employed to detect and quantify the presence of microchimerism and then reviews empirical studies of chimerism in mammals including primates and humans. In women, male microchimerism, a condition suggested to be the result of fetomaternal exchange in utero, is relatively easily detected by polymerase chain reaction molecular techniques targeting Y-chromosomal markers. Consequently, studies of chimerism in human diseases have largely focused on diseases with a predilection for females including autoimmune diseases, and female cancers. We detail studies of chimerism in human diseases and also discuss some potential implications in behavior. Understanding the prevalence of chimerism and the associated health outcomes will provide invaluable knowledge of human biology and guide novel approaches for treating diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon N Johnson
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
| | - Erik A Ehli
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
| | - Gareth E Davies
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Netherlands Twin Register, Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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3
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Fjeldstad HE, Johnsen GM, Staff AC. Fetal microchimerism and implications for maternal health. Obstet Med 2019; 13:112-119. [PMID: 33093862 DOI: 10.1177/1753495x19884484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This review paper outlines the definition, pathophysiology, and potential maternal health consequences of cellular fetal microchimerism, the maternal acquisition of intact cells of fetal origin during pregnancy. Increased rates and amounts of cellular fetal microchimerism are associated with several placental syndromes, including preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. The discovery of cellular fetal microchimerism and methods of detection are briefly outlined, and we present the mechanisms hypothesized to govern pregnancy-related and long-term maternal health effects of cellular fetal microchimerism. Specifically, we discuss the potential implications of cellular fetal microchimerism in wound healing, autoimmunity, cancer, and possibly cardiovascular disease. Cellular fetal microchimerism represents a novel area of research on maternal and transgenerational health and disease, providing exciting opportunities for developing new disease biomarkers and precision medicine with targeted prophylaxis against long-term maternal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Es Fjeldstad
- Division of Obstetrics and Gyneacology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Guro M Johnsen
- Division of Obstetrics and Gyneacology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne Cathrine Staff
- Division of Obstetrics and Gyneacology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Boddy AM, Fortunato A, Wilson Sayres M, Aktipis A. Fetal microchimerism and maternal health: a review and evolutionary analysis of cooperation and conflict beyond the womb. Bioessays 2015; 37:1106-18. [PMID: 26316378 PMCID: PMC4712643 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201500059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The presence of fetal cells has been associated with both positive and negative effects on maternal health. These paradoxical effects may be due to the fact that maternal and offspring fitness interests are aligned in certain domains and conflicting in others, which may have led to the evolution of fetal microchimeric phenotypes that can manipulate maternal tissues. We use cooperation and conflict theory to generate testable predictions about domains in which fetal microchimerism may enhance maternal health and those in which it may be detrimental. This framework suggests that fetal cells may function both to contribute to maternal somatic maintenance (e.g. wound healing) and to manipulate maternal physiology to enhance resource transmission to offspring (e.g. enhancing milk production). In this review, we use an evolutionary framework to make testable predictions about the role of fetal microchimerism in lactation, thyroid function, autoimmune disease, cancer and maternal emotional, and psychological health. Also watch the Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M Boddy
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,Center for Evolution and Cancer, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Angelo Fortunato
- Center for Evolution and Cancer, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Melissa Wilson Sayres
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Athena Aktipis
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,Center for Evolution and Cancer, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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6
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Şahin A, Özkan T, Türkçapar N, Küçükşahin O, Köksoy EB, Özturk G, Erten Ş, Sunguroğlu A, Turgay M, Kınıklı G. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell microchimerism in Turkish female patients with systemic sclerosis. Mod Rheumatol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10165-013-0856-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Boyon C, Collinet P, Boulanger L, Vinatier D. Microchimérisme fœtal : un bien ou un mal pour le fœtus et sa mère ? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 39:224-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gyobfe.2011.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2010] [Accepted: 12/16/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Boyon C, Vinatier D. [Fetal microchimerism: self and non-self, finally who are we?]. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 40:387-98. [PMID: 21354718 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgyn.2011.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2010] [Revised: 01/22/2011] [Accepted: 01/26/2011] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
For a long time, the conventional view was that the fetus and maternal vascular system are kept separate. In fact there is a two-way traffic of immune cells through the placenta and the transplacental passage of cells is in fact the norm. The fetal cells can persist in a wide range of woman's tissue following a pregnancy or an abortion and she becomes a chimera. Fetal cells have been found in the maternal circulation and they were shown to persist for almost three decades in humans, thus demonstrating long-term engraftment and survival capabilities. Microchimerism is a subject of much interest for a number of reasons. Studies of fetal microchimerism during pregnancy may offer explanations for complications of pregnancy, such as preeclampsia, as well as insights into the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease which usually ameliorates during pregnancy. The impact that the persistence of allogenic cells of fetal origin and the maternal immunological response to them has on the mother's health and whether it is detrimental or beneficial to the mother is still not clear. Although microchimerism has been implicated in some autoimmune diseases, fetal microchimerism is common in healthy individuals. On the beneficial side, it has been proposed that genetically disparate fetal microchimerism provides protection against some cancers, that fetal microchimerism can afford the mother new alleles of protection to some diseases she has not, that fetal microchimerism can enlarge the immunological repertoire of the mother improving her defense against aggressor. Fetal cells are often present at sites of maternal injury and may have an active role in the repair of maternal tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Boyon
- FRE 3249 CNRS, cité scientifique, université Lille 1, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
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Abstract
Fetal cell microchimerism is defined as the persistence of fetal cells in the mother after birth without any apparent rejection. Fetal microchimeric cells (FMCs) engraft into the maternal bone marrow for decades after delivery and are able to migrate to blood and tissues. This phenomenon was hypothesized to have a detrimental role in autoimmune diseases, but data are still controversial and debated. In malignant tumors, fetal cell microchimerism has been postulated to have a positive effect on tumor burden, although some evidence suggests that FMCs may be involved in neoplastic progression. At the peripheral level, circulating FMCs are less frequently detected in patients with thyroid cancer, breast cancer or other solid, hematologic malignancies than in healthy individuals, which suggests a protective role for fetal cell microchimerism. In tissues, FMCs have been found in tumor sections from malignancies such as thyroid, breast, cervix, lung cancers and melanomas and have been shown to differentiate into epithelial, hematopoietic, endothelial and mesenchymal cells. FMCs with hematopoietic differentiation have been postulated to have a role in destroying the tumor, whereas mesenchymal and epithelial cells could participate in repair processes. Endothelial cells, on the other hand, are believed to play a part in tumor progression. This Review provides an overview of the role of fetal cell microchimerism in autoimmune and benign or malignant nonautoimmune diseases. Moreover, the mechanisms by which fetal cell microchimerism is believed to modulate the protection against cancer or tumor progression will be discussed, together with future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Fugazzola
- Endocrine Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy.
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Samura O. [Fetal microchimerism and autoimmune disease]. NIHON RINSHO MEN'EKI GAKKAI KAISHI = JAPANESE JOURNAL OF CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 33:293-303. [PMID: 21212581 DOI: 10.2177/jsci.33.293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Microchimerism is defined by the presence of circulating cells, bi-directionally transferred from one genetically distinct individual to another. The acquisition and persistence of fetal cell microchimerism, small numbers of genetically disparate cells from the fetus in the mother, is now a well-recognized consequence of normal pregnancy. Some of the autoimmune diseases that show a predilection for women in their child-bearing years and beyond are linked to fetal microchimerism from previous pregnancies. Microchimerism has been investigated in different autoimmune disorders, such as systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, autoimmune thyroid diseases, and primary biliary cirrhosis. Recent data have demonstrated the promising role of microchimeric cells in the maternal response to tissue injuries by differentiating into many lineages. Therefore, further understanding of fetal-maternal microchimerism may help in anticipating its implications in disease as well as in more general women's health issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osamu Samura
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NHO Kure Medical Center and Chugoku Cancer Center, Kure, Japan
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Lee ESM, Bou-Gharios G, Seppanen E, Khosrotehrani K, Fisk NM. Fetal stem cell microchimerism: natural-born healers or killers? Mol Hum Reprod 2010; 16:869-78. [PMID: 20663958 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gaq067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eddy S M Lee
- University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland, Herston campus, Brisbane 4029, Australia
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12
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Lambert NC. Microchimérisme dans la sclérodermie : dix ans après. Rev Med Interne 2010; 31:523-9. [PMID: 20398976 DOI: 10.1016/j.revmed.2009.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2009] [Revised: 06/02/2009] [Accepted: 07/08/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- N-C Lambert
- Laboratoire immunogénétique de la polyarthrite rhumatoïde, Inserm UMR639, parc scientifique de Luminy, bâtiment TPR2-entrée A, 1(er) étage, 163, avenue de Luminy, 13288 Marseille cedex 9, France.
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Gammill HS, Nelson JL. Naturally acquired microchimerism. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2010; 54:531-43. [PMID: 19924635 DOI: 10.1387/ijdb.082767hg] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Bi-directional transplacental trafficking occurs routinely during the course of normal pregnancy, from fetus to mother and from mother to fetus. In addition to a variety of cell-free substances, it is now well recognized that some cells are also exchanged. Microchimerism refers to a small number of cells (or DNA) harbored by one individual that originated in a genetically different individual. While microchimerism can be the result of iatrogenic interventions such as transplantation or transfusion, by far the most common source is naturally acquired microchimerism from maternal-fetal trafficking during pregnancy. Microchimerism is a subject of much current interest for a number of reasons. During pregnancy, fetal microchimerism can be sought from the mothers blood for the purpose of prenatal diagnosis. Moreover, studies of fetal microchimerism during pregnancy may offer insight into complications of pregnancy, such as preeclampsia, as well as insights into the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis which usually ameliorates during pregnancy. Furthermore, it is now known that microchimerism persists decades later, both fetal microchimerism in women who have been pregnant and maternal microchimerism in her progeny. Investigation of the long-term consequences of fetal and maternal microchimerism is another exciting frontier of active study, with initial results pointing both to adverse and beneficial effects. This review will provide an overview of microchimerism during pregnancy and of current knowledge regarding long-term effects of naturally acquired fetal and maternal microchimerism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilary S Gammill
- Department of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
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Abstract
During pregnancy there is transplacental traffic of fetal cells into the maternal circulation. Remarkably, cells of fetal origin can then persist for decades in the mother and are detectable in the circulation and in a wide range of tissues. Maternal CD8 T cell responses directed against fetal antigens can also be detected following pregnancy. However, the impact that the persistence of allogenic cells of fetal origin and the maternal immune response towards them has on the mother's health remains unclear and is the subject of considerable investigation. The potentially harmful effects of fetal microchimerism include an association with autoimmune disease and recurrent miscarriage. Beneficial effects that have been explored include the contribution of persistent fetal cells to maternal tissue repair. A link between fetal microchimerism and cancer has also been proposed, with some results supporting a protective role and others, conversely, suggesting a role in tumour development. The phenomenon of fetal microchimerism thus provokes many questions and promises to offer further insights not only into the biology of pregnancy but fields such as autoimmunity, transplantation biology and oncology.
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Klonisch T, Drouin R. Fetal-maternal exchange of multipotent stem/progenitor cells: microchimerism in diagnosis and disease. Trends Mol Med 2009; 15:510-8. [PMID: 19828378 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2009.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2009] [Revised: 09/03/2009] [Accepted: 09/03/2009] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The biological concept of microchimerism, the bidirectional trafficking and stable long-term persistence of small numbers of allogeneic (fetal and maternal) cells in a genetically different organ, has gained considerable attention. Microchimerism is a common phenomenon in many species, including humans, and microchimeric cells can modify immunological recognition or tolerance, affect the course and outcome of various diseases and demonstrate stem cell-like or regenerative potential. Here, we review current knowledge of the biology of microchimerism and show how long-term allogeneic co-existence within an organism can impact on existing paradigms in chronic disease, cancer biology, regenerative medicine and fetal-maternal immunology. We discuss diagnostic challenges, clinical applications and future research directions in this exciting and rapidly emerging field of allogeneic fetal-maternal cell exchange.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Klonisch
- Departments of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
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Rak JM, Pagni PP, Tiev K, Allanore Y, Farge D, Harlé JR, Launay D, Hachulla E, Didelot R, Cabane J, Kahan A, Martin M, Granel B, Roudier J, Lambert NC. Male microchimerism and HLA compatibility in French women with sclerodema: a different profile in limited and diffuse subset. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2009; 48:363-6. [PMID: 19208687 DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/ken505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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O'Donoghue K. Fetal microchimerism and maternal health during and after pregnancy. Obstet Med 2008; 1:56-64. [PMID: 27582787 DOI: 10.1258/om.2008.080008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2008] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Trafficking of fetal cells into the maternal circulation begins very early in pregnancy and the effects of this cell traffic are longlasting. All types of fetal cells, including stem cells, cross the placenta during normal pregnancy to enter maternal blood, from where they may be recovered in pregnancy for the purpose of genetic prenatal diagnosis. Fetal cells can also be located in maternal tissues during and after pregnancy, and persist as microchimeric cells for decades in marrow and other organs. Although persistent fetal cells were first implicated in autoimmune disease, subsequent reports routinely found microchimeric cells in healthy tissues and in non-autoimmune disease. Parallel studies in animal and human pregnancy now suggest instead that microchimeric fetal cells play a role in the response to tissue injury. However, it is still not clear whether microchimeric fetal cells persisting in the mother are an incidental finding, are naturally pathogenic or act as reparative stem cells, and the environmental or biological stimuli that determine microchimeric cell fate are as yet undetermined. Future studies must also focus on investigating whether fetal cells create functional improvement in response to maternal injury and whether this response can be manipulated. The pregnancy-acquired low-grade chimeric state of women could have far-reaching implications, influencing recovery after injury or surgery, ageing, graft survival after transplantation, survival after cancer as well as deciding the protective effect of pregnancy against diseases later in life. Lifelong persistence of fetal cells in maternal tissues may even explain why women live longer than men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keelin O'Donoghue
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , University College Cork, Cork University Maternity Hospital , Wilton, Cork , Republic of Ireland
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Huerta Sil G, Medrano Ramírez G. [Fetal microchimerism in rheumatic diseases]. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 2:202-9. [PMID: 21794328 DOI: 10.1016/s1699-258x(06)73046-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2005] [Accepted: 09/20/2005] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Fetal microchimerism is the presence of fetal cells inmaternal tissues and vice versa, i.e., the coexistence of2 different cellular populations from genetically differentindividuals within a single person. The most frequentcause of microchimerism is pregnancy, in which there is abi-directional fetal-maternal interchange of cells duringpregnancy and delivery. Fetal cells have been demonstrated in the tissues ofpatients with rheumatic, endocrine or infectious diseases,as well as in those of healthy individuals. Microchimerism has been most extensively studied insystemic sclerosis. It seems that during pregnancyallogenic fetal or maternal cells cross the placenta bidirectionallyand persist in the systemic circulation andtissues of both mother and child. Subsequently, they areactivated, resulting in is a graft-against-host reactionassociated with the onset of clinical manifestations.Microchimerism has been also studied in otherconnective tissue diseases.
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Abstract
We review data from controlled trials and randomised controlled trials to examine the hypothesis for the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis. Strategies used to treat the vascular complications in systemic sclerosis have so far shown the biggest successes, especially in the management of renal crisis and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Because these drugs have improved function and quality of life and have increased survival rates, they can truly be classified as disease-modifying compounds. Immunosuppressive therapy with cyclophosphamide in particular has also shown evidence of efficacy, and randomised controlled trials of autologous stem-cell transplantation are underway. So far, strategies to reduce or control fibrosis directly (bosentan, interferon gamma, and relaxin) have been disappointing but new strategies against fibrosis based on advanced understanding of the molecular biology of systemic sclerosis hold promise. Treatments against several cardinal features of the disorder simultaneously have not yet been examined but are being considered for future trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Charles
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1670, USA
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Sarkar K, Miller FW. Possible roles and determinants of microchimerism in autoimmune and other disorders. Autoimmun Rev 2004; 3:454-63. [PMID: 15351311 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2004.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2004] [Accepted: 06/28/2004] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Microchimerism is the presence of a low level of non-host stem cells or their progeny in an individual. The most common source of microchimerism is pregnancy. During pregnancy, bi-directional trafficking of hematopoietic cells occurs through the placenta and these microchimeric cells persist for decades after childbirth. A possible role of microchimerism in the pathogenesis of some (systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune thyroid diseases and juvenile myositis) but not all autoimmune diseases has been suggested by recent studies. Contradictory reports exist regarding HLA allelic associations with persistent T lymphocyte microchimerism. Although much of the focus of past studies has been on microchimerism in the effector arm of the immune system, increasing evidence suggests that microchimeric cells may differentiate into many lineages in different tissues raising additional possible roles for these cells. The possibility of microchimerism in many organs should induce an exploration of how persistent mixtures of cells of different genetic backgrounds throughout the body may influence diverse physiologic processes during life. In the present review, we discuss possible influencing factors and roles of all forms of microchimerism in autoimmune and non-autoimmune diseases. A better understanding of the immune mechanisms, along with the identification of environmental and genetic risk factors, is crucial for further deciphering the many possible implications of maternal-fetal and fetal-maternal cell trafficking in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kakali Sarkar
- Environmental Autoimmunity Group, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, HHS, 9000 Rockville Pike, NIH 9/1W107, Bethesda, MD 20892-0958, USA.
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Sakkas LI, Platsoucas CD. Is systemic sclerosis an antigen-driven T cell disease? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004; 50:1721-33. [PMID: 15188347 DOI: 10.1002/art.20315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lazaros I Sakkas
- Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, USA
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