Search

The transfer of a small number of cells between parent and offspring during pregnancy, commonly referred to as microchimerism, is thought to occur in all human pregnancies. The impact of microchimeric cells on health outcomes in mothers and offspring with respect to cancer, remains unknown. Molecular and epidemiological studies yield conflicting results on the link between microchimerism and cancer, underscoring the complexity of this phenomenon. Further, most studies on microchimerism and cancer focus on the relationship between circulating fetal cells in parous women. Given that the cellular exchange between the mother and offspring is thought to have arisen due to the evolution of internal gestation, we provide an evolutionary perspective on how internal gestation may impact the risk of cancer in humans. We highlight the potential mechanisms that may play a role in cancer vulnerability in mammals, such as genomic conflict and placental invasion. We then review the literature to investigate the effects of microchimerism on cancer outcomes in parous women, highlighting each study's interpretation of the role microchimeric cells play in cancer development, whether it is a protective or contributing role. We conclude that our current understanding of the relationship between microchimerism and cancer is poorly understood and propose mechanisms for when we would expect to see microchimerism contribute to a role in protecting the host from cancer and when microchimerism may contribute to tumor development. Future studies, including more advanced methods to detect and identify microchimerism, will be important for elucidating the link between microchimerism and cancer initiation and progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microchimerism is defined as the presence of a small population of genetically distinct cells within a host that is derived from another individual. Throughout pregnancy, maternal and fetal cells are known to traffic across the feto-maternal interface and result in maternal and fetal microchimerism, respectively. However, the routes of cell transfer, the molecular signaling as well as the timing in which trafficking takes place are still not completely understood. Recently, the presence of inflammation at the feto-maternal interface has been linked with maternal microchimeric cells modulating organ development in the fetus. Here, we review the current literature and suggest that inflammatory processes at the feto-maternal interface tissues are a physiological prerequisite for the establishment of microchimerism. We further propose a spatio-temporal corridor of microchimeric cell migration to potentially explain some biological effects of microchimerism. Additionally, we elaborate on the possible consequences of a shift in this spatio-temporal corridor, potentially responsible for the development of pathologies in the neonate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foetal cells are detectable in women decades postpartum, a state termed foetal microchimerism. The interplay between these semi‐allogeneic foetal cells and the mother could be affected by genetic mismatches in the HLA loci. Here, we relate HLA allele and molecular mismatch values to the presence and quantity of foetal microchimerism in the maternal circulation during pregnancy and postpartum. A total of 76 pregnant women were included, of which 59 were followed up 1–8 years postpartum. Maternal and foetal DNA was genotyped for HLA class I and II loci. Foetal cells in maternal buffy coat were detected by qPCR, targeting inherited paternal alleles. Antibody‐verified eplet mismatch and Predicted Indirectly Recognisable HLA Epitopes (PIRCHE) scores were calculated to quantify foetal‐maternal histocompatibility from the mother's perspective. Circulating foetal cells were detected in 50.0% (38/76) of women during pregnancy, and 25.4% (15/59) postpartum. During pregnancy, HLA class II antibody‐verified eplet mismatch load and PIRCHE scores correlated negatively with the presence and quantity of foetal cells in the maternal circulation. Postpartum, HLA class I allele mismatches correlated negatively with foetal microchimerism presence, while HLA class II allele mismatches, HLA class I and II antibody‐verified eplet mismatch load, and PIRCHE‐I and PIRCHE‐II scores correlated negatively with both microchimerism presence and quantity. The correlation between mismatch parameters aimed at evaluating the risk of humoral and T cell‐mediated allorecognition and foetal microchimerism was more evident postpartum than during pregnancy. The observed predictive effect of foetal‐maternal histocompatibility on foetal microchimerism suggests that circulating foetal cells are subject to clearance by the maternal immune system. We propose that allorecognition of foetal cells in the maternal circulation and tissues influences any long‐term effect that foetal microchimerism may have on maternal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel androgen receptor (AR) signaling inhibitors have improved the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Nonetheless, the effect of these drugs is often time-limited and eventually most patients become resistant due to various AR alterations. Although liquid biopsy approaches are powerful tools for early detection of such therapy resistances, most assays investigate only a single resistance mechanism. In combination with the typically low abundance of circulating biomarkers, liquid biopsy assays are therefore informative only in a subset of patients. In this pilot study, we aimed to increase overall sensitivity for tumor-related information by combining three liquid biopsy approaches into a multi-analyte approach. In a cohort of 19 CRPC patients, we (1) enumerated and characterized circulating tumor cells (CTCs) by mRNA-based in situ padlock probe analysis, (2) used RT-qPCR to detect cancer-associated transcripts (e.g., AR and AR-splice variant 7) in lysed whole blood, and (3) conducted shallow whole-genome plasma sequencing to detect AR amplification. Although 44–53% of patient samples were informative for each assay, a combination of all three approaches led to improved diagnostic sensitivity, providing tumor-related information in 89% of patients. Additionally, distinct resistance mechanisms co-occurred in two patients, further reinforcing the implementation of multi-analyte liquid biopsy approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preeclampsia is a severe hypertensive disorder in pregnancy that causes preterm delivery, maternal and fetal morbidity, mortality, and life-long sequelae. Understanding the pathogenesis of preeclampsia is a critical first step toward protecting mother and child from this syndrome and increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. However, effective early predictive tests and therapies for preeclampsia are scarce., Methods: To identify novel markers and signaling pathways for early onset preeclampsia, we profiled human maternal-fetal interface units (fetal villi and maternal decidua) from early onset preeclampsia and healthy controls using single-nucleus RNA sequencing combined with spatial transcriptomics. The placental syncytiotrophoblast is in direct contact with maternal blood and forms the barrier between fetal and maternal circulation., Results: We identified different transcriptomic states of the endocrine syncytiotrophoblast nuclei with patterns of dysregulation associated with a senescence-associated secretory phenotype and a spatial dysregulation of senescence in the placental trophoblast layer. Elevated senescence markers were validated in placental tissues of clinical multicenter cohorts. Importantly, several secreted senescence-associated secretory phenotype factors were elevated in maternal blood already in the first trimester. We verified the secreted senescence markers, PAI-1 (plasminogen activator inhibitor 1) and activin A, as identified in our single-nucleus RNA sequencing model as predictive markers before clinical preeclampsia diagnosis., Conclusions: This indicates that increased syncytiotrophoblast senescence appears weeks before clinical manifestation of early onset preeclampsia, suggesting that the dysregulated preeclamptic placenta starts with higher cell maturation resulting in premature and increased senescence-associated secretory phenotype release. These senescence-associated secretory phenotype markers may serve as an additional early diagnostic tool for this syndrome.