The effect of pregnancy on paternal skin allograft survival

Sci China C Life Sci. 2009 Nov;52(11):1011-5. doi: 10.1007/s11427-009-0142-0. Epub 2009 Nov 24.

Abstract

Elucidation of maternal-fetal tolerance mechanisms clarifies the role of regulatory T cells (Treg) in transplant tolerance. This study aim to investigate the effect of pregnancy on paternal skin allograft survival. Flow cytometry techniques, mixed lymphocytes reaction (MLR), PCR, real-time PCR and skin transplantation were key methods. Treg increased significantly from 4.2% before pregnancy to peak at 6.8% day 8 after pregnancy. Both heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) mRNA express high in placenta while low in spleen (P<0.05). Although Treg increased during pregnancy, and splenocytes from the pregnant mice showed lower MLR response toward the paternal stimulator, single time pregnancy showed no significant protective effect on paternal skin allograft survival in the tested condition.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry / methods
  • Graft Survival / immunology*
  • Heme Oxygenase-1 / genetics
  • Heme Oxygenase-1 / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Immune Tolerance / immunology
  • Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase / genetics
  • Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase / metabolism
  • Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Placenta / enzymology
  • Pregnancy / immunology*
  • Skin / immunology*
  • Skin Transplantation / immunology*
  • Spleen / cytology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology
  • Transplantation, Homologous / immunology*

Substances

  • Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Heme Oxygenase-1
  • Hmox1 protein, mouse