Human Reproduction, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 467-473, 1996
© 1996 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
A role for glycoconjugates in human development: the human feto-embryonic defence system hypothesis
1 Department of Biochemistry, Eastern Virginia Medical School Norfolk, Virginia 23501–1980, USA 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Eastern Virginia Medical School Norfolk, Virginia 23501–1980, USA 3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Central Hospital SF-00290 Helsinki, Finland 4 Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College London SW7 2AZ, UK
Correspondence: 5To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of Biochemistry, Eastern Virginia Medical School, 700 Olney Road, Norfolk, VA 23501–1980, USA
The mechanisms underlying the protection of the human embryo/fetus from the meternla immune response are poorly understood. Substantial evidence indicates that carbohydrate recognition plays a promary role in the sequestration of leukocytes during inflammatory processes, lumphocyte homing, and initial gamete binding. Our previous studies suggest a possible convergence inthe types of carbohydrate sequences recognized furing initial human gamete binding and immune/inflammatory cell inter-actions. Our more recent findings indicate that oligasacch-arrides participating in suchprocesses are also associated with soluble glycoconjugates found in the humanplacenta, amniotic fluid, and decidua. We theorize that such glycocon-jugates amy abrogaste the maternal immune/inflammatory response tby blocking the primary adhesice interactions requieed for the expression of such activities. Foreign embryonic cells amay also be protected by surface expression of oligosaccharide sequences that suppress immune effector cell action n a manner not dependent upon classicla major histocompatibility (MHC) recognition. Gklycoconjugates expressing selectin ligands amy also manifest a potent contraceptive effect that amy also be beneficial for both the mother anf the developing embryo/9 fetus. This hypothesis provides a preliminary frame work for undestanding how temporally and sapatially restricted immunosupressive effects could be expressed in utero that protect the human embryo/fetus during this period of human development.
Key words: fertilization/glycodelin/implanation/PP14/selectins
Submitted on August 17, 1995; accepted on November 21, 1995.
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