Maternal microchimerism: Lessons learned from murine models

Maternal microchimerism (MMc) is defined as the presence of maternal cells in the organs of the fetus and offspring. MMc cells can be acquired during pregnancy and lactation and persist until adulthood. The variety of MMc cell phenotypes, its widespread location in the offspring's organism, and its detection in the context of human auto-immune diseases have raised interest in its short- and long-term functional role for the offspring.
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Source Type: research