Maternal farm exposure modulates neonatal immune mechanisms through regulatory T cells

Abstract

CitationMaternal farm exposure modulates neonatal immune mechanisms through regulatory T cells.

Impaired lipopolysaccharide responsiveness of cord blood mononuclear cells and the risk of asthma: a longitudinal study

“…This protection might be mediated through modulation of the Th1/Th2 balance in the developing immune system, perhaps via an effect on regulatory T cells, by bacterial products such as LPS (22,23). Indeed, cord blood regulatory T cell number and function were increased in infants exposed to farm environments during pregnancy, and their function was impaired in infants to atopic mothers (8,20). These investigators did not find a significant effect on the CBMC proliferative response; however, their assay differed from ours in the use of a shorter stimulation time and a lower dose of LPS.…”

“…For an environmental stimulus to exert an immunomodulatory effect, as suggested by these epidemiological and molecular studies, it is likely to affect cells of the immune system early in development, yielding changes in the cytokines expressed as well as in proliferation (8,9). For example, in a longitudinal study, increased exposure at age 2-3 mo to household endotoxin was associated with reduced allergen-induced production of the TH2 cytokine IL-13, in children at risk for allergy and asthma (10).…”

Asthma phenotyping, therapy, and prevention: what can we learn from systems biology?

“…In general, a very tight interaction has been shown to exist between maternal trans-placental signals and the fetal immune system; for instance, maternal cells cross the placental barrier, settle in the offspring's lymph nodes until early adulthood, and suppress anti-maternal immune reactions by induction of fetal regulatory T cells (29). A glimpse of the specific immunologic background of this in utero protective effect against asthma is seen in the results of an analysis of cord blood T cells from 82 mothers in a rural area of southern Germany (30). In the cord blood samples of children of mothers who had lived and worked regularly on a farm during pregnancy, the number and function of regulatory T cells were increased, and IL-5 secretion in response to innate stimulation was reduced.…”

IL-4 and IL-13 Differentially Regulate TLR-Induced Eosinophil-Basophil Differentiation Of Cord Blood CD34+ Progenitor Cells

“…Environments rich in microbes, such as farming environments, appear to protect against the development of allergies in children, especially when the exposure is pre-natal [2]. These protective effects are associated with alterations in both the neonatal innate [3,4] and adaptive [5] immune systems. These studies suggest that the microenvironment of the uterus plays a key role in shaping the infant's response to environmental stimuli, which subsequently influences the development of allergy [1].…”