Estrogen receptors in mom's placenta critical during viral infection

(Duke University) A team of Duke and Mt. Sinai researchers has found a mechanism that protects a fetus from harm when the mother's innate immune system responds to a viral infection. Inflammation that would harm the fetus is dampened by a cell-surface estrogen receptor called GPER1 that is especially abundant in the placenta and fetal tissues.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news