Study finds maternal cells persist in human brain throughout life
Researchers detected maternal microchimerism—cells from the mother present in the child's brain—in 70% of epilepsy patients studied, with some regions showing surprisingly high quantities. The maternal cells were found across multiple brain regions and integrated into various neural and glial cell types, persisting from childhood into advanced age. The findings raise questions about cellular identity and may have implications for understanding brain health and disease.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that maternal microchimerism is prevalent and persistent in the human brain. Using surgically resected brain tissue from epilepsy patients with detectable maternal genetic markers, researchers employed quantitative PCR and single-nucleus RNA sequencing to identify and characterize maternal cells. Maternal microchimerism was detected in 70% of patients across temporal, frontal, parietal, and hippocampal regions, often in substantial quantities. The maternal cells were found integrated into major neural and glial populations, with a preference for adopting L2/3 intratelencephalic neuronal or microglial/macrophage-like fates. Analysis of publicly available datasets from neurotypical brains showed the phenomenon persists from gestation through late adulthood, suggesting this bidirectional maternal-fetal exchange during pregnancy creates a lasting cellular legacy.
Limitations & open questions
The study's limitations include reliance on epilepsy patient samples (which may not represent typical brain physiology), the unknown functional significance of maternal microchimerism in the brain, and whether these maternal cells play any role in health or disease. The mechanisms driving the preferential adoption of specific cell fates by maternal cells remain unclear.
What different sources said
- bioRxivCenter
Microchimerism in the human brain, quantitative assessment and single nuclei profiling establish cell types and diversity
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