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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Isolation of Leukocytes from the Human Maternal-fetal Interface
Published on: May 21, 2015
Immunology at the maternal-fetal interface: lessons for T cell tolerance and suppression
1Program in Molecular Immunology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Medical College of Georgia 30912, USA. mellor@immag.mcg.edu mcg.edu.
Abstract:
Mammalian reproduction poses an immunological paradox because fetal alloantigens encoded by genes inherited from the father should provoke responses by maternal T cells leading to fetal loss. Current understanding of T cell immunobiology and the critical role of inflammatory processes during pregnancy is reviewed and discussed. Lessons derived from studies on the regulation of T cell responsiveness during mammalian gestation are considered in the wider context of T cell tolerance toward some microbial infections and tumors, avoidance of autoimmunity, and tissue allograft rejection.
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