http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428695.100-you-may-carry-cells-from-siblings-aunts-and-uncles.html
Did you know for example that mothers of boys carry male DNA in their brain and it has been suggested that this may have a protective effect against Alzheimer's?http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0045592
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-women-brain-microchimerism-20120926,0,6446716.story
There are some outstanding papers on this topic and we might want to include this topic for one of the Journal Clubs.
Fascinating. Well, that complicates using circulating fetal DNA for non-invasive prenatal testing. Wonder what the body does with it.
I find the microchimerism of fetal stem cells far more fascinating. Especially as a mother. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12765465
Has this DNA been confirmed as originating with the foetus, or is it just confirmed as being from the Y chromosome?
And are these 'loose' DNA molecules, or complete male cells, that are in the woman's brain?
Is the whole Y chromosome present? Is it transcriptionally active?
MICROCHIMERISM is expressed as multiple lymphnodes when thyroid is enlarged in pregnancy mimicking a malignant tumour
Transfusion associated microchimerism is a common and well documented 'complication' of receipt of non-irradiated cellular blood products. Approximately 5-10% of immunocompetent persons receiving blood transfusions in the context of trauma can develop long term microchimerism of an apparently pleuripotent haematopoietic origin (with lymphoid and myeloid engraftment). In contrast to transfusion associated graft versus host disease (which is often fatal), there are no clearly documented adverse health events of transfusion associated microchimerism. Interestingly, a cohort study examining the incidence of microchimerism in transfused war veterans suggested that transfusion associated microchimerism may last for life (as transfused WWII vets had increased rates of microchimerism compared to non transfused controls (Utter et al Transfusion 2008; 48:1609)).
We will discuss this topic in detail in our Journal Club initiative in the month of January 2013.
An interesting aspect is that all females are chimeras. One X is always shut down, if that is maternal X or paternal X is random for any given cell throughout the body. This means that females express a mix of maternal and paternal X-coded proteins, potentially explaining female predominance in autoimmune disease [Predominance of autoimmune and rheumatic diseases in females. Kast RE., J Rheumatol. 1977 Autumn;4(3):288-92.]
Another puzzling and fascinating aspect is that not only adult females (with a possible former pregnancy of a male fetus) are chimeras but also female children and even female fetuses can be. We have published a paper demonstrating this in 2005 with C Feray's team, pdf that you can find in my list of publications in ResearchGate. " Male cell microchimerism in normal and diseased female livers from fetal life to adulthood. Guettier et al. Hepatology. 2005".
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