The impact of maternal-fetal microchimerism on the development of the offspring's immune system

Maternal-fetal microchimerism is a phenomenon in which maternal cells migrate to the offspring's tissue during both pregnancy and breastfeeding. These cells are mainly leukocytes and stem cells. These maternal cells have functional potential in the offspring and influence, among other things, the development of their immune system. The main cell population detectable in various tissues of the offspring are T lymphocytes. These maternal T lymphocytes not only have effector function, but also influence the development of the offspring's T lymphocytes in the thymus or maturation of offspring's B lymphocytes in the lymph nodes. Migration of maternal leukocyte also leads to transfer of immune memory through generations. Maternal microchimerism is also capable of balancing immunodeficiencies of the offspring. Maternal cells expressing IL-2 were detected in mice deficient in IL-2 and maternal IgG secreting plasma cells were found in offsprings deficient in B cell. This work is focused on the influence of maternal cells transported within maternal microchimerism on the development of the offspring's immune system as well as the effector functions of maternal cells migrating through the placenta and breast milk to the offspring