Nature Immunology 7, 241 - 246 (2006)
Published online: 15 February 2006; | doi:10.1038/ni1317
Mother's little helpers: mechanisms of maternal-fetal toleranceJohn Trowsdale1
& Alexander G Betz21
Department of Pathology, Immunology Division, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QP, UK. 2
Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry, Cambridge CB2 2QH, UK.
Correspondence should be addressed to Alexander G Betz betz@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk The evolutionary adaptation in mammals that allows implantation of their embryos in the mother's womb creates an immunological problem. Although it ensures optimal nourishment and protection of the fetus throughout its early development, intimate contact with the mother's uterine tissue makes the fetus a potential target for her immune system. As half the fetal genes are derived from the father, the developing embryo and placenta must be considered a 'semi-allograft'. Such a mismatched organ transplant would be readily rejected without powerful immune suppression. During pregnancy, however, the semi-allogeneic fetus is protected from assault by the maternal immune system over an extended period of time. The mother's immune system seems to recognize the fetus as 'temporary self'. How this feat is managed is key to understanding immunological tolerance and intervention in treating disease.
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