Forever Connected: The Lifelong Biological Consequences of Fetomaternal and Maternofetal Microchimerism.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Originally studied as a mechanism to understand eclampsia-related deaths during pregnancy, fetal cells in maternal blood have more recently garnered attention as a noninvasive source of fetal material for prenatal testing. In the 21st century, however, intact fetal cells have been largely supplanted by circulating cell-free placental DNA for aneuploidy screening. Instead, interest has pivoted to the ways in which fetal cells influence maternal biology. In parallel, an increasing appreciation of the consequences of maternal cells in the developing fetus has occurred.

Content

In this review, we highlight the potential clinical applications and functional consequences of the bidirectional trafficking of intact cells between a pregnant woman and her fetus. Fetal cells

SUBMITTER: Bianchi DW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10072000 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature