Postnatal depletion of maternal cells biases T lymphocytes and natural killer cells' profiles toward early activation in the spleen.

ABSTRACT: The maternal cells transferred into the fetus during gestation persist long after birth in the progeny. These maternal cells have been hypothesized to promote the maturation of the fetal immune system in utero but there are still significant gaps in our knowledge of their potential roles after birth. To provide insights into these maternal cells' postnatal functional roles, we set up a transgenic mouse model to specifically eliminate maternal cells in the neonates by diphtheria toxin injection and confirmed significant depletion in the spleens. We then performed immunophenotyping of the spleens of two-week-old pups by mass cytometry to pinpoint the immune profile differences driven by the depletion of maternal cells in early postnatal life. We observed a heightened expression of markers re

SUBMITTER: Castellan FS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9672855 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature