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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Isolation of Leukocytes from the Murine Tissues at the Maternal-Fetal Interface
Published on: May 21, 2015
A balancing act: mechanisms by which the fetus avoids rejection by the maternal immune system
J C Warning1, S A McCracken, J M Morris
1Department of Perinatal Research, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales 2065, Australia.
Abstract:
Successful pregnancy requires strict temporal regulation of maternal immune function to accommodate the growing fetus. Early implantation is facilitated by inflammatory processes that ensure adequate vascular remodeling and placental invasion. To prevent rejection of the fetus, this inflammation must be curtailed; reproductive immunologists are discovering that this process is orchestrated by the fetal unit and, in particular, the extravillous trophoblast. Soluble and particulate factors produced by the trophoblast regulate maternal immune cells within the decidua, as well as in the periphery. The aim of this review is to discuss the action of recently discovered immunomodulatory factors and mechanisms, and the potential effects of dysregulation of such mechanisms on the maternal immune response that may result in pregnancy loss or preeclampsia.
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