# Maternal-infant transfer of microbial modified immunity

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · 2024 · $234,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Maternal leukocytes can migrate to an infant not only during pregnancy via the placenta, but also after delivery
via breastfeeding. Immune cells in the milk have a significant heterogeneity, and they include innate cells
[macrophages, neutrophils, natural killer cells] and adaptive [T and B] cells. The immature adaptive immune
system needs education by the mother to facilitate immune tolerance and responsivity.
A specific probiotic (Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938) has been examined in our laboratory and found to
have anti-inflammatory effects in several disease models, including neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC),
Treg-deficiency-induced autoimmunity (IPEX syndrome in humans), and in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.
Recently, we found that orally feeding DSM 17938 could modify the function of circulating Tregs. When probiotic-
educated Tregs were adoptively transferred to newborn pups exposed to experimental NEC, probiotic-educated
Tregs were more potent than naïve Treg cells at reducing inflammatory T cells. A current knowledge gap our
understanding of how probiotics modify microbes, interact with leukocytes, and express metabolites that may be
transferred from mother to infant to benefit early life immunity.
The specific aims are to (1) characterize probiotic-modulated immune transfer from mother to infant. We will use
mice with congenic markers to distinguish immune cells arising from mother and infant. We will gavage feed
DSM 17938 to pregnant and lactating dam to identify the transfer of immunity from mother to infant via (via the
placenta or breast milk) by studies of the cross-fostered newborn pups; and we will (2) assess the potentially
beneficial effect of transferring probiotic-modulated immunity from mother to infant in the setting of Treg-
deficiency-induced autoimmunity. In both aims, dynamic changes of stool microbiome and metagenome and
plasma probiotic-modulated metabolites in the mother and infant will be determined.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10869565
- **Project number:** 1R21AI182934-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Yuying Liu
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $234,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-03-01 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10869565

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10869565, Maternal-infant transfer of microbial modified immunity (1R21AI182934-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10869565. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*