Maternal immune transfer is the most significant source of protection from early-life infection, but whether maternal transfer of immunity by nursing permanently alters offspring immunity is poorly understood. Here, we identify maternal immune imprinting of offspring nursed by mothers who had a pre-conception helminth infection. Nursing of pups by helminth-exposed mothers transferred protective cellular immunity to these offspring against helminth infection. Enhanced control of infection was not dependent on maternal antibody. Protection associated with systemic development of protective type 2 immunity in T helper 2 (TsubH/sub2) impaired IL-4Rαsup?/?/sup offspring. This maternally acquired immunity was maintained into maturity and required transfer (via nursing) to the offspring of maternally derived TsubH/sub2-competent CD4 T cells. Our data therefore reveal that maternal exposure to a globally prevalent source of infection before pregnancy provides long-term nursing-acquired immune benefits to offspring mediated by maternally derived pathogen-experienced lymphocytes.
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机译:产妇的免疫转移是防止早期感染的最重要来源,但是人们对通过护理而产生的免疫转移是否会永久改变后代免疫的了解却很少。在这里,我们确定了由受孕前蠕虫感染的母亲调养的后代的母亲免疫印迹。受蠕虫感染的母亲对幼崽的护理将保护性细胞免疫转移给这些后代以抵抗蠕虫感染。加强控制感染不依赖母体抗体。与T辅助2(T H sub> 2)的2型保护性免疫系统发育相关的保护作用损害了IL-4Rα?/? sup>后代。这种母体获得的免疫力得以保持成熟,并需要(通过护理)转移到母体来源的T H sub> 2-感受态CD4 T细胞的后代中。因此,我们的数据表明,孕妇在孕前暴露于全球普遍的感染源后,即可对由母体来源的病原体有经验的淋巴细胞介导的后代提供长期的护理获得的免疫优势。
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