Maternal immune stimulation during pregnancy affects adaptive immunity in offspring to promote development of TH17 cells.

Behavioral abnormalities in offspring of murine dams that receive immune stimulation with (poly)I:C during pregnancy are well-documented. In this prenatal model, (poly)I:C-induced maternal cytokines, particularly IL-6, appear involved in the etiology of the behavioral abnormalities. While much has been published on the abnormal behaviors of offspring in this model, much less is known about how maternal immune stimulation affects the adaptive immune system of the offspring, and its possible role in the observed pathophysiology.

Preferential development of Th17 cells in offspring of immunostimulated pregnant mice.

Pregnant mice were stimulated at day 12 of gestation with the nucleotide poly(I:C). At 24h after stimulation, serum levels of maternal cytokines were measured, and at postnatal ages 2 and 3 weeks, offspring were analyzed for T helper (Th) cell subsets. Lymphocytes from offspring of poly(I:C)-injected (vs.