Fetal Microchimerism and Cancer

Sawicki, Janet A.

doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-08-3008

Cited by 22 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…For example, CD45 or cytokeratin staining could be used to help determine whether these cells are leukocytes or trophoblasts, and stem cell antibody panels could be used to determine whether they are progenitor cells that may play a role in maternal tissue repair. In addition, since fetal cells have been hypothesized to play a role in maternal tumorigenesis [21], future experiments could be designed as well to test this hypothesis with regard to lung cancer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fetal Cells in the Murine Maternal Lung Have Well-Defined Characteristics and Are Preferentially Located in Alveolar Septum

Johnson

Stroh²,

Tadesse³

et al. 2012

Stem Cells and Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The transfer of fetal cells to maternal organs occurs in mouse and human pregnancy. Techniques such as polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry do not permit study of fetal cell morphology or anatomic location. Using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic mouse model, our objective was to determine whether GFP + signal emanates from intact or degraded fetal cells, and whether they have a characteristic appearance and location within maternal lung. Four wild-type female mice were mated to males homozygous for the Gfp transgene and studied at days e16-18. Controls were 2 females mated to wild-type males. Morphologic appearance and anatomic position of each GFP + object within maternal lung was recorded. GFP signals were sufficiently bright to be visualized without anti-GFP antibody and were confirmed by confocal microscopy to be separate from fluorescent artifact. Of 438 GFP + objects detected, 375 (85.6%) were from intact cells, and 63 (14.4%) were acellular. Four distinct categories of intact cells were observed. Of these, 23.2% had mononuclear morphology with a relatively large nucleus and GFP + cytoplasm (Group A). An additional group of cells (10.1%) had mononuclear morphology and podocyte extensions (Group B). The remainder of cells had fragmented nuclei or cytoplasm. Both intact cells and acellular fragments were predominantly localized to the maternal alveolar septum (P < 0.0001). This study demonstrates that fetal GFP + cells are predominantly located in the alveolar septum and have characteristic morphologies, although it remains unclear whether these represent distinct categories of cells or degrading cells. Nevertheless, this naturally acquired population of fetal cells in maternal lung should be considered in studies of lung biology and repair.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fetal Cells in the Murine Maternal Lung Have Well-Defined Characteristics and Are Preferentially Located in Alveolar Septum

Johnson

Stroh²,

Tadesse³

et al. 2012

Stem Cells and Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In contrast, Sawicki hypothesized that fetal cells have tumorigenic potential and can act as cancer stem cells (26). She described a case in which fetal cells constituted the majority of lung tumors in a murine model.…”

Section: Studies Of Neoplastic Tissuementioning

confidence: 99%

Fetal Cell Microchimerism and Cancer: A Nexus of Reproduction, Immunology, and Tumor Biology

Kallenbach

Johnson²,

Bianchi³

2011

Cancer Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fetal cell microchimerism (FCM) is the persistence of fetal cells in the maternal circulation and organs following pregnancy. Proposed hypotheses about the function of fetal cells in the pathogenesis of maternal cancer include promotion of tumorigenesis, protection by providing immunosurveillance, and participation in tissue repair. To date, studies of FCM and cancer have been primarily descriptive and quantitative. More research is needed to understand the cellular phenotype of the microchimeric cells in maternal tumors and whether they have a functional role. This research will require further study using a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating knowledge of the fetomaternal relationship, tumor biology, immunology, and clinical oncology.

show abstract

“…Des donné es ré centes suggè rent une association entre grossesse, microchimé risme et cancer [90,91]. La probabilité d'avoir un cancer serait moindre chez les femmes multipares avec microchimé risme que chez celles sans microchimé risme [92].…”

Section: Microchime´risme Foetal Et Cancersunclassified