Vertically transferred maternal immune cells promote neonatal immunity against early life infections

Ina Annelies Stelzer, Christopher Urbschat, Steven Schepanski, Kristin Thiele, Ioanna Triviai, Agnes Wieczorek, Malik Alawi, Denise Ohnezeit, Julian Kottlau, Jiabin Huang, Nicole Fischer, Hans-Willi Mittrücker, Maria Emilia Solano, Boris Fehse, Anke Diemert, Felix R. Stahl and Petra Clara Arck ()
Additional contact information
Ina Annelies Stelzer: Division of Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg
Christopher Urbschat: Division of Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg
Steven Schepanski: Division of Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg
Kristin Thiele: Division of Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg
Ioanna Triviai: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Agnes Wieczorek: Division of Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg
Malik Alawi: Bioinformatics Core, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Denise Ohnezeit: Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Julian Kottlau: Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Jiabin Huang: Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Nicole Fischer: Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Hans-Willi Mittrücker: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Maria Emilia Solano: Division of Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg
Boris Fehse: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Anke Diemert: Division of Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg
Felix R. Stahl: Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Petra Clara Arck: Division of Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract During mammalian pregnancy, immune cells are vertically transferred from mother to fetus. The functional role of these maternal microchimeric cells (MMc) in the offspring is mostly unknown. Here we show a mouse model in which MMc numbers are either normal or low, which enables functional assessment of MMc. We report a functional role of MMc in promoting fetal immune development. MMc induces preferential differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells in fetal bone marrow towards monocytes within the myeloid compartment. Neonatal mice with higher numbers of MMc and monocytes show enhanced resilience against cytomegalovirus infection. Similarly, higher numbers of MMc in human cord blood are linked to a lower number of respiratory infections during the first year of life. Our data highlight the importance of MMc in promoting fetal immune development, potentially averting the threats caused by early life exposure to pathogens.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24719-z

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