microchimerism
Sign in to saveright|thumb|220px|During pregnancy, a two-way traffic of immune cells may occur through the placenta. Exchanged cells can multiply and establish long-lasting cell lines that are immunologically active even decades after giving birth. Microchimerism is the presence of a small number of cells in an individual that have originated from another individual and are therefore genetically distinct. This phenomenon may be related to certain types of autoimmune diseases although the responsible mechanisms are unclear. The term comes from the prefix "micro" + "chimerism" based on the hybrid Chimera of G
Article
22 sectionsContents
- Types
- Human
- Animal
- Fetomaternal microchimerism in the brain
- Maternal tolerance to paternal-fetal antigens
- Fetal tolerance to noninherited maternal antigens
- Postnatal tolerance to NIMAs
- Benefits of microchimeric cells
- Relationship with autoimmune diseases and breast cancer
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Thyroid disease
- Sjögren syndrome
- Oral lichen planus
- Breast cancer
- Other cancers
- Role of microchimerism in wound healing
- Stem cells
- Animal models
- Health implications
- See also
- References
- Further reading
right|thumb|220px|During pregnancy, a two-way traffic of immune cells may occur through the placenta. Exchanged cells can multiply and establish long-lasting cell lines that are immunologically active even decades after giving birth. Microchimerism is the presence of a small number of cells in an individual that have originated from another individual and are therefore genetically distinct. This phenomenon may be related to certain types of autoimmune diseases although the responsible mechanisms are unclear. The term comes from the prefix "micro" + "chimerism" based on the hybrid Chimera of Greek mythology. The concept was first discovered in the 1960s with the term gaining usage in the 1970s.
==Types==