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The role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in maintaining the immune privilege at the fetal–maternal interface

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Abstract

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pivotal regulator of the innate and adaptive immunity affecting the response and behavior of macrophages and lymphocytes. MIF is also implicated in other fundamental cellular processes including angiogenesis and cell proliferation. Several studies examined the expression of MIF in reproductive organs and tissues and its involvement in different aspects of human and animal reproduction. The goal of this review was to summarize these findings and discuss, in particular, the role of MIF in the maintenance of the immune privilege at the human fetal–maternal interface.

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Acknowledgments

Studies in the authors’ laboratories were supported by grants from the Italian Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, the University of Siena, and by the National Institutes of Health 2 R01HD 33937-05 and 1 R01 HL070004-03. The authors would like to thank Dr. Paolo Toti, Lynn Buchwalder,and Antonietta Carducci for their invaluable help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. II Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Milan and Istituto Auxologico Italiano, 20100, Milan, Italy

    Paola Viganò

  2. Department of Human Pathology and Oncology, Section of Pathology, University of Siena—School of Medicine, Via delle Scotte, 6, 53100, Siena, Italy

    Marcella Cintorino & Felice Arcuri

  3. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA

    Frederick Schatz & Charles J. Lockwood

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  1. Paola Viganò
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  2. Marcella Cintorino
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  3. Frederick Schatz
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  4. Charles J. Lockwood
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  5. Felice Arcuri
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Correspondence to Felice Arcuri.

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Viganò, P., Cintorino, M., Schatz, F. et al. The role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in maintaining the immune privilege at the fetal–maternal interface. Semin Immunopathol 29, 135–150 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00281-007-0074-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00281-007-0074-3

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