Absence of fetal cell microchimerism in cutaneous lesions of lupus erythematosus

Fetal cell microchimerism develops in all human pregnancies and has been associated with autoimmune diseases such as systemic sclerosis. It has been suggested that these disorders may be the consequence of an immune reaction between fetal and maternal cells in women after pregnancy. More recently, results from our laboratory suggest that microchimeric cells of fetal origin may differentiate into thyrocytes or hepatocytes in thyroid and liver specimens from women with non-autoimmune diseases. We therefore developed an alternative hypothesis suggesting that microchimeric stem cells may have the ability to participate in the maternal response to tissue injury.