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Fetal liver transplantation pp 45–56Cite as

Development of the immune system in human fetal liver

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Part of the book series: Developments in Hematology and Immunology ((DIHI,volume 18))

Summary

Fetal liver is a major site of development of the human immune system. Pre-B and B-lymphocytes are present in the human fetal liver at 12 weeks in a random distribution and increase with gestation. Most fetal liver cells are pre-B but mature B-cells are also present. Functional assays and transplantation experiments indicate that these B-cells are functional and can transfer immunologic memory, albeit imperfectly, in fetal liver reconstituted recipients. T-cell development, in contrast, occurs predominantly in the thymus. Progenitors of T-cells are present in fetal liver and can restore T-cell immunity in irradiated recipients. Human fetal liver contains 1–2% mature T-cells; functional assays are likewise negative. NK cells have been detected in human fetal liver at low frequency. Fetal liver also contains non-T, non-B cells capable of suppressing the development of alloantigen reactive T-cells; these have been termed veto cells. In summary, human fetal liver contains progenitors of several types of lymphoid cells and is an important site of immune development. It also may play a role in the induction of self tolerance during maturation of the immune system. These features of fetal liver may have important implications for the success of fetal liver transplantation in man.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA

    Robert Peter Gale

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  1. Robert Peter Gale
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France

    Jean-Louis Touraine

  2. Transplantation Biology Program, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

    Robert Peter Gale

  3. Institute Rotary, Cancer Hospital, New Delhi, India

    Vinod Kochupillai

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© 1987 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht

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Gale, R.P. (1987). Development of the immune system in human fetal liver. In: Touraine, JL., Gale, R.P., Kochupillai, V. (eds) Fetal liver transplantation. Developments in Hematology and Immunology, vol 18. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3365-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3365-1_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8011-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-3365-1

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