MATERNO-FETAL IMMUNOBIOLOGY IN NORMAL-PREGNANCY AND ITS POSSIBLE FAILURE IN RECURRENT SPONTANEOUS-ABORTION

Many features contributing to the success of pregnancy in humans have been identified over the last 20 years, Trophoblast cells (which form the interface of fetal tissue with the mother) have specialized immuno logical features which may confer unique transplantation protection fo r the fetus throughout pregnancy, Both syncytiotrophoblast and cytotro phoblast cells do not express classical class I [human leucocyte antig en (HLA)-A or -B] or II (HLA-DP, -DQ or -DR) major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alloantigens, and the regulation of these cell surface g lycoproteins appears to be at the transcriptional level, In contrast, extravillous cytotrophoblast cells express the non-classical class I M HC molecule HLA-G, One form of HLA-G (HLA-G1) is potentially capable o f presenting a variety of peptide antigens to T cells, Alternatively, HLA-G may act as a cell surface class I MHC molecule, protecting cytot rophoblast from maternal MHC non-restricted natural killer (NK) cell a ttack; the expression of HLA-G by otherwise HLA-null cell transfectant s has been shown to decrease their sensitivity to NK cell-mediated cyt olysis, All fetal trophoblast populations throughout gestation express high levels of cell surface complement regulatory proteins, providing protection from complement-mediated damage at the materno-fetal inter face, Analyses of trials with allogeneic leucocytes for the treatment of recurrent spontaneous abortion show little evidence of an improved success rate in immunized patients.