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Exploring the Origin and Antigenic Specificity of Maternal Regulatory T Cells in Pregnancy.
- Source :
-
Frontiers in immunology [Front Immunol] 2020 Jun 25; Vol. 11, pp. 1302. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Jun 25 (Print Publication: 2020). - Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- Successful pregnancy outcome is partially determined by the suppression of reactive effector T cells by maternal regulatory T cells (T <subscript>Regs</subscript> ) at the maternal-fetal interface. While a large area of research has focused on the regulation of peripherally-induced T <subscript>Reg</subscript> (pT <subscript>Reg</subscript> ) distribution and differentiation using transgenic mouse models and human samples, studies focusing on the role of T <subscript>Regs</subscript> derived from the thymus (tT <subscript>Regs</subscript> ), and the potential role of central tolerance in maternal-fetal tolerance is less explored. The genome of the fetus is composed of both the tissue-specific and paternally-inherited antigens, and a break in maternal immune tolerance to either antigen may result in adverse pregnancy outcomes. Notably, "self"-antigens, including antigens that are highly restricted to the fetus and placenta, are promiscuously expressed by medullary thymic epithelial cells under the control of Autoimmune Regulator (Aire), which skews the tT <subscript>Reg</subscript> T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire to be specific toward these antigens. T <subscript>Regs</subscript> that circulate in mothers during pregnancy may be comprised of T <subscript>Regs</subscript> that stem from the thymus as well as those induced in the periphery. Moreover, despite a wealth of research dedicated to elucidating the function of T <subscript>Regs</subscript> in maternal-fetal tolerance, little is understood about the origin of these cells, and whether/how tT <subscript>Regs</subscript> may contribute. Investigation into this question is complicated by the absence of reliable markers to distinguish between the two. In this review, we discuss how distinct types of fetal/placental antigens may determine the generation of different subtypes of T <subscript>Reg</subscript> cells in the mother, and in turn how these may promote maternal tolerance to the fetus in pregnancy.<br /> (Copyright © 2020 Ahn, Nguyen and Petroff.)
- Subjects :
- Antigens immunology
Female
Fetus immunology
Humans
Immune Tolerance
Lymphocyte Activation immunology
Pregnancy Outcome
T-Lymphocyte Subsets immunology
T-Lymphocyte Subsets metabolism
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory cytology
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory metabolism
Cell Differentiation immunology
Epitopes immunology
Lymphopoiesis immunology
Pregnancy immunology
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory immunology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1664-3224
- Volume :
- 11
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Frontiers in immunology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 32670288
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01302