Immune rebalancing at the maternal-fetal interface of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during early pregnancy.

Protein Cell

Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.

Published: May 2024

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) remains a threat to pregnant women. However, the impact of early pregnancy SARS-CoV-2 infection on the maternal-fetal interface remains poorly understood. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of single-cell transcriptomics and metabolomics in placental samples infected with SARS-CoV-2 during early pregnancy. Compared to control placentas, SARS-CoV-2 infection elicited immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface and induced metabolic alterations in amino acid and phospholipid profiles during the initial weeks post-infection. However, subsequent immune cell activation and heightened immune tolerance in trophoblast cells established a novel dynamic equilibrium that mitigated the impact on the maternal-fetal interface. Notably, the immune response and metabolic alterations at the maternal-fetal interface exhibited a gradual decline during the second trimester. Our study underscores the adaptive immune tolerance mechanisms and establishment of immunological balance during the first two trimesters following maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11131034PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/procel/pwae006DOI Listing

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