Fetal cell microchimerism in the maternal mouse spinal cord  

作　　者：Guohui Zhang Yunan Zhao Xin-Min Li Jiming Kong 

机构地区：[1]Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei North University [2]Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba [3]Department of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba

出　　处：《Neuroscience Bulletin》2014年第1期81-89,共9页神经科学通报（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the Manitoba Health Research Council(MHRC);the Canadian Institutes for Health Research(CIHR)

摘　　要：Fetal cell microchimerism refers to the persistence of fetal cells in the maternal tissues following pregnancy. It has been detected in peripheral organs and the brain, but its existence in the spinal cord has not been reported. Our aim was to detect fetal cell microchimerism in the spinal cord of maternal mice. C57BL/6 female mice were crossed with GFP transgenic male mice and sacrificed after their first or third delivery. GFP-positive cells, which were presumably from fetuses whose fathers were GFP transgenic, were detected in the spinal cord by fluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry. PCR was also performed to detect GFP DNA, which must come from GFP hemizygous fetuses. We found GFP-positive cells and detectable GFP DNA in most of the maternal spinal cords. Twenty percent （1/5） of the mice that were only pregnant once had detectable fetal cells, while 80% （4/5） of those that were pregnant three times had detectable fetal cells. Some fetal cells, which not only emitted green fluorescence but also expressed NeuN, were detected in the spinal cords from maternal mice. These results indicate that fetal cells migrate into the spinal cord of a maternal mouse during and/or after the gestational period, and the fetal cells may differentiate into neurons in the spinal cord.Fetal cell microchimerism refers to the persistence of fetal cells in the maternal tissues following pregnancy. It has been detected in peripheral organs and the brain, but its existence in the spinal cord has not been reported. Our aim was to detect fetal cell microchimerism in the spinal cord of maternal mice. C57BL/6 female mice were crossed with GFP transgenic male mice and sacrificed after their first or third delivery. GFP-positive cells, which were presumably from fetuses whose fathers were GFP transgenic, were detected in the spinal cord by fluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry. PCR was also performed to detect GFP DNA, which must come from GFP hemizygous fetuses. We found GFP-positive cells and detectable GFP DNA in most of the maternal spinal cords. Twenty percent （1/5） of the mice that were only pregnant once had detectable fetal cells, while 80% （4/5） of those that were pregnant three times had detectable fetal cells. Some fetal cells, which not only emitted green fluorescence but also expressed NeuN, were detected in the spinal cords from maternal mice. These results indicate that fetal cells migrate into the spinal cord of a maternal mouse during and/or after the gestational period, and the fetal cells may differentiate into neurons in the spinal cord.

关 键 词：fetal cell microchimerism greenfluorescent protein spinal cord MOUSE 

分 类 号：R714.5[医药卫生—妇产科学]