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Stereotypic Immune System Development in Newborn Children

Axel Olin1, Ewa Henckel2, Yang Chen1

  • 1Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 17121 Solna, Sweden.

Cell
|August 25, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Early life immune system development in newborns shows significant changes within the first three months. Microbial interactions drive this immune trajectory, but gut dysbiosis can impede it.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Neonatal Research
  • Microbiome Studies

Background:

  • Early life exposures significantly influence immune-mediated diseases.
  • Infants are highly susceptible to infections, necessitating studies on early immune development.
  • Existing research often uses animal models or cord blood, which don't capture postnatal environmental influences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To longitudinally analyze immune system development in newborns during the first three months of life.
  • To identify changes in immune cell populations and plasma proteins after birth.
  • To understand the factors influencing infant immune trajectories.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal blood sampling (up to 4 times) from 100 newborns over their first 3 months.
  • Mass cytometry analysis of 58 immune cell populations.
  • Immunoassay analysis of 267 plasma proteins.

Main Results:

  • Observed drastic, stereotypic immune system changes not predictable from cord blood data.
  • Identified distinct immune profiles at birth for preterm and term infants that converge over time.
  • Found evidence suggesting microbial interactions drive immune development, with gut dysbiosis as a potential hindrance.

Conclusions:

  • Newborn immune development follows a predictable pattern influenced by postnatal exposures.
  • Microbial factors, particularly gut bacteria, play a crucial role in shaping infant immunity.
  • Early gut dysbiosis may negatively impact the trajectory of immune system maturation.

Keywords:
CyTOFhuman immunologyimmune system developmentimmune variationmass cytometryneonateneonatologynewborn immune systemspreterm birthsystems immunology

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