Evaluation of the maternal systemic immune system during frozen euploid embryo transfer according to cycle outcome.

Infertility affects 15 % of couples in the US, and many turn to assisted reproductive technologies, including in vitro fertilization and subsequent frozen embryo transfer (FET) to become pregnant. This study aimed to perform a broad assessment of the maternal immune system to determine if there are systemic differences on the day of FET in cycles that result in a live birth compared to those that do not. Women undergoing FET of euploid embryos were recruited and blood was collected on the day of FET as well as at early timepoints in pregnancy.

Spatial proteomics reveals phenotypic and functional differences in T cell and macrophage subsets during villitis of unknown etiology.

Villitis of unknown etiology (VUE) is a prevalent inflammatory pathology of the placenta characterized by infiltration of maternal T cells and accumulation of fetal macrophages into chorionic villi. VUE is associated with a variety of adverse clinical outcomes, including fetal growth restriction and fetal demise. Evaluation of the phenotypic and functional differences between two immune cell types associated with this pathology, namely T cells and macrophages, was completed to gain a deeper understanding of the immuno-pathogenesis of VUE.

Maternal Monocytes Respond to Cell-Free Fetal DNA and Initiate Key Processes of Human Parturition.

Throughout gestation, the maternal immune system is tightly modulated to allow growth of a semiallogeneic fetus. During the third trimester, the maternal immune system shifts to a proinflammatory phenotype in preparation for labor. What induces this shift remains unclear.

Evaluating Markers of Immune Tolerance and Angiogenesis in Maternal Blood for an Association with Risk of Pregnancy Loss.

Pregnancy loss affects approximately 20% of couples. The lack of a clear cause complicates half of all miscarriages. Early evidence indicates the maternal immune system and angiogenesis regulation are both key players in implantation success or failure.

Increased cell-free fetal DNA release after apoptosis and sterile inflammation in human trophoblast cells.

Problem: Cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) shed from the placenta can be detected in maternal blood and increases incrementally during gestation. Concentrations are further elevated with pregnancy complications. Specific activators of cffDNA release in such complications have not been identified.

Upregulation of HLA-Class I and II in Placentas Diagnosed with Villitis of Unknown Etiology.

The placenta utilizes many mechanisms to protect the haploidentical fetus from recognition by the maternal immune system. However, in cases of villitis of unknown etiology (VUE), maternal lymphocytes gain access into the placenta, causing significant health risks for the fetus. Evidence suggests that VUE is a rejection response between the mother and the haploidentical fetus.

NDST1 Preferred Promoter Confirmation and Identification of Corresponding Transcriptional Inhibitors as Substrate Reduction Agents for Multiple Mucopolysaccharidosis Disorders.

The stepwise degradation of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) is accomplished by twelve lysosomal enzymes. Deficiency in any of these enzymes will result in the accumulation of the intermediate substrates on the pathway to the complete turnover of GAGs. The accumulation of these undegraded substrates in almost any tissue is a hallmark of all Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS).

eSGA: E. coli synthetic genetic array analysis.

Physical and functional interactions define the molecular organization of the cell. Genetic interactions, or epistasis, tend to occur between gene products involved in parallel pathways or interlinked biological processes. High-throughput experimental systems to examine genetic interactions on a genome-wide scale have been devised for Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster, but have not been reported previously for prokaryotes.