Immunogenetic study of couples with recurrent spontaneous abortions

Area of Science:

• Immunogenetics
• Reproductive Medicine
• Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) System

Background:

• Genetic and immunologic factors may influence fertility.
• The Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) system and Trophoblast Lymphocyte Cross-Reactive (TLX) are polymorphic and potentially linked.
• Excessive HLA and TLX sharing between partners is hypothesized to cause semi-allogenic blastocyst rejection, leading to recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if increased HLA sharing exists in couples with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA).
• To determine if specific HLA specificities are associated with RSA.

Main Methods:

• Study included Caucasian couples with three consecutive spontaneous abortions (n=25) and a control group (n=21).
• HLA-A and B typing used serotyping methodology; DRB1 alleles (class II) were determined by oligotyping.
• Statistical analysis compared HLA sharing and allelic frequencies between RSA and control groups.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in the number of couples without shared HLA specificity was observed across groups (RSA vs. control).
• Allelic frequencies for HLA did not significantly differ between couples with RSA and fertile controls.

Conclusions:

• Increased HLA sharing is not a significant factor in couples with recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA).
• No specific HLA type is demonstrably associated with the occurrence of RSA.