| Abstrakt: |
Background. Microchimerism (Mc) can be acquired through bi-directional exchange of a small amount of cells or DNA between mother and fetus during pregnancy. Previous studies have found higher concentrations of fetal Mc (FMc) 1 and a higher frequency of maternal Mc (MMc) in women with systemic sclerosis compared with healthy women. 2 We sought to measure MMc and FMc in cellular subsets, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and whole peripheral blood in women with systemic sclerosis compared with healthy women. Materials and Methods. A total of 147 healthy women and 69 women with systemic sclerosis were studied. HLA genotyping was performed for the subjects, their mothers, and all their children. Using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, peripheral blood mononuclear cells were sorted into the following subsets: T, B, and NK cells, NKT cells and monocyte/macrophages. DNA was extracted from individual subsets, and MMc and FMc was quantified with qPCR assays targeting maternal- and fetal-specific HLA sequences. Detection of Mc was compared using logistic regression, with adjustment for total number of genome equivalents tested. Results. Both FMc and MMc was detected in all cellular subsets studied in women with systemic sclerosis and healthy women. Mc was found in cells that function as part of the innate (monocytes/macrophages, NK cells) and adaptive (T, B cells) immune response. Preliminary analysis suggested a trend toward higher detection of MMc in innate immune cellular subsets in women with systemic sclerosis (12/44, 27.3%) compared with healthy women (6/47, 12.8%), p = 0.08. Conclusions. Our data demonstrates detection of Mc in cellular subsets in healthy adult women and women with systemic sclerosis. We saw a trend toward a higher frequency of MMc in innate immune cellular subsets in women with systemic sclerosis compared with healthy women. Further investigation of the immunologic functionality of Mc in health and disease is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
