Evasive strategies of trophoblast cells: selective expression of membrane antigens.

Contemporary experimental tools, particularly those of molecular biology, have allowed some insights on the selective display of membrane antigens by trophoblast cells. The unique observations offered by reproduction immunologists may have wider application than expected inasmuch as tumor cells may use some of the same mechanisms to avoid recognition and destruction by host immune cells and antibodies. Thus, further pursuit of the conditions that prevail in pregnancy may lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms used by "foreign" cells to coexist peaceably with host cells, bypassing immune mechanisms designed for their destruction.