How do regulatory T cells influence materno-fetal tolerance?

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During pregnancy, the mother is host to a baby of which half the genes are from the father. This means that in effect, the baby acts like a transplanted tissue and can be rejected by the mothers immune system. The reason why this does not normally happen is not known. Our laboratory has recently shown that during pregnancy a special type of immune cell (the regulatory T cell) increases in number and we believe it may prevent rejection of the baby. This study will test the idea that these cells are important in successful pregnancy and find out what happens in women who repeatedly lose pregnancies. If successful, this work will have a major impact on how we treat women who experience recurrent abortion. It will also increase our knowledge of how the immune system functions.