Maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection elicits sexually dimorphic placental immune responses.
Sci Transl Med
; 13(617): eabi7428, 2021 Oct 27.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1476378
ABSTRACT
There is a persistent bias toward higher prevalence and increased severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in males. Underlying mechanisms accounting for this sex difference remain incompletely understood. Interferon responses have been implicated as a modulator of COVID-19 disease in adults and play a key role in the placental antiviral response. Moreover, the interferon response has been shown to alter Fc receptor expression and therefore may affect placental antibody transfer. Here, we examined the intersection of maternal-fetal antibody transfer, viral-induced placental interferon responses, and fetal sex in pregnant women infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Placental Fc receptor abundance, interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression, and SARS-CoV-2 antibody transfer were interrogated in 68 human pregnancies. Sexually dimorphic expression of placental Fc receptors, ISGs and proteins, and interleukin-10 was observed after maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection, with up-regulation of these features in placental tissue of pregnant individuals with male fetuses. Reduced maternal SARS-CoV-2specific antibody titers and impaired placental antibody transfer were also observed in pregnancies with a male fetus. These results demonstrate fetal sex-specific maternal and placental adaptive and innate immune responses to SARS-CoV-2.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Pregnancy
Language:
English
Journal:
Sci Transl Med
Journal subject:
Science
/
Medicine
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Scitranslmed.abi7428
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