Two-way cell traffic between mother and fetus: biologic and clinical implications

Abstract

The bilateral trafficking of nucleated cells between the fetus and the mother was studied using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based systems sensitive enough to detect 1 target cell in 100,000 background cells. Sixty-six mother-baby pairs were recruited; maternal and cord blood samples were collected at delivery for DNA extraction. Cell trafficking was studied in informative cases using PCR-genotyping of polymorphic regions in the beta-globin cluster, the glutathione S-transferase M1 locus and the angiotensin converting enzyme gene. In addition, Y-PCR was also used in conjunction with these systems for the detection of fetal cells in maternal circulation. Fetal cells were detected in maternal peripheral blood in 26 of 51 cases whereas maternal cells were detected in 16 of 38 fetal umbilical cord blood samples. The proportion of umbilical samples with detectable maternal sequences was much higher than previously reported. In the 28 cases informative for both mother and baby, there was no obvious correlation between the cell traffic from mother to baby as compared to that from baby to mother. These findings may have implications for the use of cord blood for bone marrow transplantation, the vertical transmission of infectious agents, and the physiology of the feto-maternal relationship.

Detection of maternal cells in human fetal blood during the third trimester of pregnancy using allele‐specific PCR amplification

“…In a murine model, transmission of maternal cells to the fetus during pregnancy has been proved by flow cytometry and PCR analysis of the neonatal spleen (Shimamura et al, 1994). In addition, our results are consistent with the very frequent detection of maternal cells in cord blood samples at birth (Petit et al, 1995;Lo et al, 1996).…”

“…In three cases neonatal lymphocytes and polynuclear cells were separated and both fractions were found to contain maternal cells at about the same level. Recently, Lo et al (1996) have detected maternal cells in 16/38 umbilical cord blood samples using highly sensitive (0 . 001%) PCR-based techniques.…”

Fetal cells in the maternal circulation: feasibility for prenatal diagnosis

“…Subsequently, a graftversus-host response can occur, which may result in the development of autoimmune disease. Data obtained from studies of umbilical cord blood samples using DNA polymorphisms indicate that in 4-40% of cases small numbers of maternal cells can be detected in the fetal circulation (Hall et al, 1995;Lo et al, 1996;Socie et al, 1994). Maternal cell microchimaerism could potentially explain the rarer occurrence of scleroderma in men.…”

“…Maternal cell microchimaerism could potentially explain the rarer occurrence of scleroderma in men. Studies such as these have expanded interest in the phenomenon of bidirectional fetal and maternal cell trafficking (Petit et al, 1995(Petit et al, , 1997Lo et al, 1996;Tyndall & Gratwohl, 1998).…”

Maternal T-cell engraftment impedes with diagnosis of a SCID-ADA patient

“…Maternal T cells from fetal or perinatal transplacental passage have been identified in up to 40% of patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), genetically heterogeneous immune disorders characterized by a dramatic reduction of number and function of T lymphocytes, as well as functional or quantitative defects of B lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells [1][2][3]. While immunocompetent newborns, who have effective T-cell immunity, can rapidly reject the histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatched maternal lymphocytes, that bidirectionally pass between mother and foetus through the human placenta [4], SCID newborns fail to reject circulating maternal T cells. The maternally derived engrafted T cells, whose number ranges in the blood from 10 to several thousand/ml, are functionally incompetent and show limited or no proliferative response to mitogens.…”