Tolerance Induction or Sensitization in Mice Exposed to Noninherited Maternal Antigens (NIMA)

Microchimerism is strongly correlated with tolerance to noninherited maternal antigens in mice.

In mice and humans, the immunologic effects of developmental exposure to noninherited maternal antigens (NIMAs) are quite variable. This heterogeneity likely reflects differences in the relative levels of NIMA-specific T regulatory (T(R)) versus T effector (T(E)) cells. We hypothesized that maintenance of NIMA-specific T(R) cells in the adult requires continuous exposure to maternal cells and a...

Maternal Antigens Induces CD4 Developmental Exposure to Noninherited

Tolerance to noninherited maternal antigens, reproductive microchimerism and regulatory T cell memory: 60 years after ‘Evidence for actively acquired tolerance to Rh antigens’

Compulsory exposure to genetically foreign maternal tissue imprints in offspring sustained tolerance to noninherited maternal antigens (NIMA). Immunological tolerance to NIMA was first described by Dr. Ray D. Owen for women genetically negative for erythrocyte rhesus (Rh) antigen with reduced sensitization from developmental Rh exposure by their mothers. Extending this analysis to HLA haplotype...

Major and Minor Histocompatibility Antigens to Non-Inherited Maternal Antigens (NIMA)

Immunological reactivity results from differences between the transplant host and donor for cell surface determinants known as histocompatibility antigens. Histocompatibility antigens that provoke the most severe transplant reactions are encoded by a series of genes that reside in a discrete chromosomal region termed the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) (Amos 1968). Genes of the human leu...

Reexposure of cord blood to noninherited maternal HLA antigens improves transplant outcome in hematological malignancies.

Cord blood (CB) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can be successful even if donor and recipient are not fully matched for human leukocyte antigens (HLA). This may result from tolerance-inducing events during pregnancy but to date this concept has not been tested in CB transplantation. Hence we analyzed the impact of fetal exposure to noninherited maternal antigens (NIMA) of the HLA-A, -B ...