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Isolation of Leukocytes from the Human Maternal-fetal Interface
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Published on: May 21, 2015

Maternal-fetal interactions and MHC polymorphism

D Haig1

  • 1Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. dhaig@oeb.harvard.edu

Journal of Reproductive Immunology
|January 9, 1998
PubMed

Two models of maternal-fetal interactions are discussed. In the first, offspring are advantaged if they possess an allele absent in their mother. Polymorphism is maintained because rare alleles have an advantage when present in males. In the second, offspring are disadvantaged if they lack an allele present in their mother. Polymorphism is maintained because rare alleles have an advantage when present in females. Both classes of model are associated with a deficiency of homozygous genotypes. If the artificial assumption of symmetrical selection is relaxed, the second class of model (gestational drive) could account for the otherwise inexplicable absence of MHC polymorphism in some species.

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