Trophoblast Study

This NIH/NICHD funded study is examining the role of trophoblasts and CMV infection. Several studies suggest that during pregnancy complicated by maternal HIV infection, exposure to pathogens induces placental immune activation, which may alter placental signalling and affect foetal immunity. One such co-infection is human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Epidemiologic studies have reported that HCMV co-infection may contribute to HIV disease progression and increased mortality. Significant gaps in our knowledge exist in understanding the impact of maternal HIV and HCMV co-infection on trophoblast function, the significance of CD8+ T cells in villous tissue, and whether co-infection and the presence of CD8+ T cells results in villitis and placental pathology during gestation. We are determining the role of trophoblasts in recruiting CD8+ T cells into villous tissue and to determine the origin, phenotype, and epitope specificity of these cells.

The study will provide a deeper conceptual understanding of the in vivo effects of maternal HIV/HCMV co-infection during pregnancy on placental immunity. This study will not only highlight the presence of HCMV-specific CD8+ T cells in the periphery and uterine microenvironment. But also, allude to the function of these cells using deep immunophenotyping and intracellular cytokine staining. The origin of these cells will also be revealed looking at sex-specific genes, as placentae are collected from male babies.