Fetally Derived CCL3 is Not Essential for the Migration of Maternal Cells Across the Blood-Placental Barrier in the Mouse

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In mammals with a hemochorial placenta (e.g., primates and rodents), the maternal and fetal bloodstreams are separated by the blood-placenta barrier. However, a few maternal cells in the general circulation pass through the barrier during normal pregnancy. So far, the transfer mechanism has not been investigated. In this study, we established a chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 (CCL3)-deficient mouse model to examine the effect of fetus-derived chemokine(s) on the migration of maternal cells through the blood-placenta barrier. Using this model, we obtained CCL3-positive and -negative littermates from a mother expressing both CCL3 and green fluorescent protein (GFP). The numbers of GFP positive maternal cells in the lung, liver, spleen and heart of CCL3-positive and -negative fetuses were compared. A few GFP-positive cells were detected in the lung and liver of both types of fetus. These results indicate that maternal cells can migrate through the blood-placenta barrier even in the absence of fetal CCL3.