Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Determining the Role of Maternally-Expressed Genes in Early Development with Maternal Crispants
Published on: December 21, 2021
Maternal acceptance of the fetus: true human tolerance
Indira Guleria1, Mohamed H Sayegh
1Transplantation Research Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. indira.guleria@tch.harvard.edu
Abstract:
Induction and maintenance of immunologic tolerance in humans remains a desirable but elusive goal. Therefore, understanding the physiologic mechanisms of regulation of immune responses is highly clinically relevant for immune-mediated diseases (e.g., autoimmunity and asthma/allergy) and for cell and organ transplantation. Acceptance of the fetus, which expresses paternally inherited alloantigens, by the mother during pregnancy is a unique example of how the immune system reshapes a destructive alloimmune response to a state of tolerance. Understanding the complex mechanisms of fetomaternal tolerance has important implications for developing novel strategies to induce immunologic tolerance in humans in general and for prevention of spontaneous abortion in at-risk populations in particular.
Related Concept Videos
True Stress and True Strain
In contrast, true stress offers a more precise portrayal. It is computed by dividing the...
Hypothesis: Accept or Fail to Reject?
There are two ways to indicate that the null hypothesis is not rejected. 'Accept' the null...
Development of the Sexual Organs in the Embryo and Fetus
Near the gonadal ridges, two duct systems are present: the mesonephric ducts (Wolffian ducts) and paramesonephric ducts (Müllerian ducts). These ducts form the basis for the...
Biodiversity and Human Values
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision

