Microchimerism
 

Our michrochimerism assays are specific for a number of MHC and insertion/deletion alleles that are disparate between donor and recipient cells. Using these assays, we have shown that transfusion-associated microchimerism is prevalent in transfused trauma patients and combat casualties, can persist for decades, and is associated with diminished immune responses. In addition, we found that leukoreduction and type of blood component do not affect the incidence of microchimerism.

Our group also helped define the prevalence of pregnancy-associated microchimerism during fetal development in humans and rhesus monkeys, as well as its increased incidence after fetal surgery.

Selected Publications:

Utter GH, Owings JT, Lee TH, Paglieroni TG, Reed WF, Gosselin RC, Holland PV, Busch MP. Microchimerism in transfused trauma patients is associated with diminished donor-specific lymphocyte response. J Trauma 58(5):925-31 (2005).

Gill RM, Lee TH, Utter GH, Reed WF, Wen L, Chafets D, Busch MP. The TNF (-308A) polymorphism is associated with microchimerism in transfused trauma patients. Blood 111(7):3880-3 PMC2275039 (2008).

Utter GH, Lee TH, Rivers RM, Montalvo L, Wen L, Chafets DM, Reed WF, Busch MP. Microchimerism decades after transfusion among combat-injured US veterans from the Vietnam, Korean, and World War II conflicts. Transfusion 48(8):1609-15 (2008).

Mold JE, Michaëlsson J, Burt TD, Muench MO, Beckerman KP, Busch MP, Lee TH, Nixon DF, McCune JM. Maternal alloantigens promote the development of tolerogenic fetal regulatory T cells in utero. Science 322(5907):1562-5 PMC2648820 (2008).

Bloch EM, Reed WF, Lee TH, Montalvo L, Shiboski S, Custer B, Barcellos LF. Male microchimerism in peripheral blood leukocytes from women with multiple sclerosis. Chimerism 2(1):6-10 PMC3084949 (2011).

Saadai P, Lee TH, Bautista G, Gonzales KD, Nijagal A, Busch MP, Kim CJ, Romero R, Lee H, Hirose S, Rand L, Miniati D, Farmer DL, MacKenzie TC. Alterations in maternal-fetal cellular trafficking after fetal surgery. J Pediatr Surg 47(6):1089-94 PMC3377979 (2012).

Sanchez R, Lee TH, Wen L, Montalvo L, Schechterly C, Colvin C, Alter HJ, Luban NL, Busch MP. Absence of transfusion-associated microchimerism in pediatric and adult recipients of leukoreduced and gamma-irradiated blood components. Transfusion 52(5):936-45 PMC3257351 (2012).

Bakkour S, Baker CA, Tarantal AF, Wen L, Busch MP, Lee TH, McCune JM. Analysis of maternal microchimerism in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) using real-time quantitative PCR amplification of MHC polymorphisms. Chimerism 5(1):6-15 PMC3988117 (2014).