Maternal antibodies shape infant immune response development in an epitope-specific manner.

Abstract

The antibody repertoire in the blood encodes a comprehensive record of an individual's immunological encounters. Knowing the individuality of the repertoire would benefit in vaccinations, and also in personalising treatments. Formation of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody repertoire starts before birth. Here, we used a mimotope variation analysis (MVA) method to gain deeper insight into the repertoire of maternal antibodies actively transferred to newborns during pregnancy with the follow-up at 6 months. Our study of 25 mothers and their neonates highlighted the strong correlation between maternal and neonatal antibody levels with comparable antigen-specificity shortly after birth. However, a noticeable blunting or interference in the antibody response was observed at the epitope level, revealing distinct patterns of recognition of antigenic determinants between mothers and their infants at 6 months, particularly concerning common latent viral infections like cytomegalovirus (CMV). Comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of placental IgG antibody transmission is essential for effectively leveraging and manipulating these mechanisms to benefit newborn health. This research was supported by funds from the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, the Estonian Research Council and by grants from the EU's HE programme.