Clin Pediatr Hematol Oncol.  2011 Apr;18(1):50-53.

High Frequency of Male Microchimerism in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Korean Women with Scleroderma, Resembling Skin Manifestations of Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease

• Kim BE
• Koh KN
• Seo JJ
• Jang SS
• Park CJ
• Kim MJ
• Im HJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Bidirectional traffic of cells at the feto-maternal interface has been shown during pregnancy and fetal cells have been found to persist in maternal peripheral blood for decades after childbirth. Fetal-microchimerism has been reported in women with scleroderma, which shares a number of characteristics with chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD), although its contribution to the disease pathogenesis remains unclear. We performed this study to determine the frequency of male microchimerism in peripheral blood of patients with scleroderma or normal healthy women with son.
METHODS
PCR targeting the Y chromosome specific DYZ1 sequence was employed to test DNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 26 women with scleroderma and 10 healthy women who had given birth to at least one son.
RESULTS
Male DNA was detected in 16 of 26 (61.5%) women with scleroderma. Whereas male DNA was not detected in any healthy women who had given birth to son.
CONCLUSION
Although fetal microchimerism in women with scleroderma was documented, additional studies will be necessary to determine whether microchimerism plays a role in the pathogenesis of this or other autoimmune disease.

Keyword

Scleroderma; Chronic GVHD; Microchimerism; PCR

MeSH Terms

Autoimmune Diseases
Chimerism
DNA
Female
Graft vs Host Disease
Humans
Male
Parturition
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Pregnancy
Skin
Skin Manifestations
Transplants
Y Chromosome
DNA