Role of the Newborn’s Sex in Mixed Maternal-Newborn Lymphocyte Culture Reactivity

Abstract

One-way-stimulated mixed mother-newborn lymphocyte cultures (MMNLC) from male and female newborns were evaluated and compared shortly after delivery. Newborn sex-correlated differences were observed in the strength of the MMNLC reactivity with responding maternal as well as newborn cells. The reactivity of MMNLC with responding maternal cells from male as compared to female newborns was significantly less inhibited in maternal and newborn serum. The inhibitory effect of maternal serum on maternal and male newborn lymphocytes in MMNLC seems to be correlated to the sex of the previous child delivered and was significantly lower when the present as well as the previous baby were of the same sex, e.g. 2 boys. The results suggest that fetal-male-specific Y-chromosome-correlated histocompatibility antigens may specifically influence the maternal immune response to her fetus.

Efficacy of the Placental Barrier for Immunoglobulins: Correlations between Maternal, Paternal and Fetal Immunoglobulin Levels

“…Komlos et al [12] reported that the blood of mothers with male newborns contains significantly de creased populations of OKT4+ lymphocytes compared to the blood of mothers of female newborns. Likewise, they described an increased reactivity of maternal lymphocytes in mixed mother-newborn lymphocyte culture after deliv eries of male as compared to female newborns [13], and the results were suggested to the correlated to the H-Y male-specific histocompatability antigen [14], If so, the sensitization of the mothers with this antigen in some cases might possibly give a specific IgE reaction, or the alteration of the armature of cell-mediated immunity might indirectly alter the IgE reactions to unrelated anti gens. Studies discriminating between these possibilities would be considerable interest.…”

Sialic Acid Level in Maternal and Neonatal Lymphocytes and Sera Correlated to Birth Order and Sex of the Neonate

“…The significantly increased concentration of sialic acid in male as compared to female neonatal lymphocytes observed in this study after 2 and more deliveries suggests the possi bility that sialic acid, by masking specific Ychromosomc-correlated histocompatiblity antigens, may have a contribution in the re duced reactivity observed in MMNLC with male neonatal cells from multi-as compared to primiparae [16], Although the number of primiparae with male neonates was small, the reduced lymphocyte sialic acid level observed for male as compared to female neonates and their mothers suggests the possibility that dose-dependent sialic acid masking of histo compatibility antigens may unspecifically in fluence the immune response [21] and con tribute in some way to an increased reactivity in MMNLC in this specific group of cases [16].…”

“…In a previous study [16], a significantly increased immune response was obtained by us in MMNLC after the first delivery with male as compared to female neonatal cells, and this was especially evident in maternal serum. With increasing parity, no such neo nate sex-correlated differences could be ob served in the strength of the MMNLC.…”

“…In previous studies [14][15][16] on immune reactions in mother and newborn we found newborn sex-correlated differences in the level of E-rosettc-forming lymphocytes from male as compared to female newborns, and recently we observed newborn sex-and birth order-correlated differences in the immune response of mixed mother-newborn lympho cyte cultures (MMNLC) between male and female neonatal cells [16], In view of the pos sible role of sialic acid in the inhibition of his tocompatibility antigen-mediated immunospecific reactions [4,17], we considered that it would be of interest to determine in the present study sialic acid concentrations on maternal and neonatal peripheral lympho cytes and sera and to try to evaluate and com pare the results according to neonates' birth order and sex.…”

“…The separation into two groups was based on our pre vious results, when differences in immunoreactivity in MMNLC with male as compared to female neonatal cells were especially evident after the first delivery [16].…”