Journal
EMBO REPORTS
Volume -, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.15252/embr.202356829
Keywords
immunological memory; intrauterine transfer; maternal microchimerism; pregnancy
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Neonatal health is influenced by maternal antibodies and cells that are transferred to the fetus. Maternal microchimeric cells (MMc) can persist in the offspring and promote neonatal immunity against infections. These cells can transfer immune memory between generations and have the potential to clear pathogen threats in the offspring.
Neonatal health is determined by the transfer of maternal antibodies from the mother to the fetus. Besides antibodies, maternal cells cross the placental barrier and seed into fetal organs. Contrary to maternal antibodies, maternal microchimeric cells (MMc) show a high longevity, as they can persist in the offspring until adulthood. Recent evidence highlights that MMc leukocytes promote neonatal immunity against early-life infections in mice and humans. As shown in mice, this promotion of immunity was attributable to an improved fetal immune development. Besides this indirect effect, MMc may be pathogen-specific and thus, directly clear pathogen threats in the offspring postnatally. By using ovalbumin recombinant Listeria monocytogenes (LmOVA), we here provide evidence that OVA-specific T cells are transferred from the mother to the fetus, which is associated with increased activation of T cells and a milder course of postnatal infection in the offspring. Our data highlight that maternally-derived passive immunity of the neonate is not limited to antibodies, as MMc have the potential to transfer immune memory between generations.
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