Natural killer cells and pregnancy

A Moffett-King - Nature Reviews Immunology, 2002 - nature.com
A Moffett-King
Nature Reviews Immunology, 2002nature.com
The fetus is considered to be an allograft that, paradoxically, survives pregnancy despite the
laws of classical transplantation immunology. There is no direct contact of the mother with
the embryo, only with the extraembryonic placenta as it implants in the uterus. No convincing
evidence of uterine maternal T-cell recognition of placental trophoblast cells has been
found, but instead, there might be maternal allorecognition mediated by uterine natural killer
cells that recognize unusual fetal trophoblast MHC ligands.
Abstract
The fetus is considered to be an allograft that, paradoxically, survives pregnancy despite the laws of classical transplantation immunology. There is no direct contact of the mother with the embryo, only with the extraembryonic placenta as it implants in the uterus. No convincing evidence of uterine maternal T-cell recognition of placental trophoblast cells has been found, but instead, there might be maternal allorecognition mediated by uterine natural killer cells that recognize unusual fetal trophoblast MHC ligands.
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