Commentary
Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2006) 126, 239–241. doi:10.1038/sj.jid.5700061
Microchimerism and Skin Disease: True-True Unrelated?
Anita C Gilliam1
1Department of Dermatology, Case/University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Correspondence: Dr. Anita C. Gilliam, Department of Dermatology, Case/University Hospitals of Cleveland, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-5028, USA. Email: anita.gilliam@case.edu
Abstract
Microchimerism, the stable presence of foreign cells in an individual, may result from trafficking during pregnancy or from organ or hematopoietic transplantation, and has been hypothesized to cause autoimmunity and certain skin diseases. Yet microchimeric cells are found in normal individuals and may be important to tissue repair. Thus microchimerism may be common, and finding microchimeric cells in diseased as well as normal tissue may be a "true-true unrelated" situation.
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