Supermom, activate: baby force field!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Your body’s immune system has its own peacekeepers called regulatory T-cells. They help balance your body’s reactions to invading microbes! But can a pregnant mother’s immune system distinguish HER BABY from a germy invader?
Dr. Sing Sing Way and team from the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati looked at regulatory T-cells in pregnant mice for answers.
They discovered that pregnant mothers develop special T-cells to help safeguard the baby from the mother’s own immune system! These special T cells also evolved into memory cells. Even better, they enhance protection during the SECOND pregnancy!
Targeting these peacekeeping cells may help lower risk of complications, keeping both mom and baby safe!
Nevermind a nuclear family, this one’s molecular.
Reference: Rowe, J., Ertelt, J., Xin, L. et al. Pregnancy imprints regulatory memory that sustains anergy to fetal antigen. Nature 490, 102–106 (2012).