Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF )
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Vince, G.S.
Right arrow Articles by Johnson, P.M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Vince, G.S.
Right arrow Articles by Johnson, P.M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Human Reproduction, Vol. 10, No. suppl_2, pp. 107-113, 1995
© 1995 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Materno–fetal immunobiology in normal pregnancy and its possible failure in recurrent spontaneous abortion?

G.S. Vince and P.M. Johnson

Department of Immunology, University of Liverpool PO Box 147, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK

Many features contributing to the success of pregnancy in humans have been identified over the last 20 years. Trophoblast cells (which form the interface of fetal tissue with the mother) have specialized immunological features which may confer unique transplantation protection for the fetus throughout pregnancy. Both syncytiotrophoblast and cytotrophoblast cells do not express classical class I [human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-A or -B] or II (HLA-DP, -DQ or - DR) major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alloantigens, and the regulation of these cell surface glycoproteins appears to be at the transcriptional level. In contrast, extravillous cytotrophoblast cells express the non-classical class I MHC molecule HLA-G. One form of HLA-G (HLA-G1) is potentially capable of presenting a variety of peptide antigens to T cells. Alternatively, HLA-G may act as a cell surface class I MHC molecule, protecting cytotrophoblast from maternal MHC non-restricted natural killer (NK) cell attack; the expression of HLA-G by otherwise HLA-null cell transfectants has been shown to decrease their sensitivity to NK cellmediated cytolysis. All fetal trophoblast populations throughout gestation express high levels of cell surface complement regulatory proteins, providing protection from complement-mediated damage at the materno-fetal interface. Analyses of trials with allogeneic leucocytes for the treatment of recurrent spontaneous abortion show little evidence of an improved success rate in immunized patients.

Key words: complement/HLA/pregnancy/recurrent spontaneous abortion


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.