Assistant Professor3901 Rainbow Boulevard
2008 Wahl Hall East
Kansas City, Kansas 66160
Phone: (913) 588-2781
Fax: (913) 588-2710
Email: mpetroff@kumc.edu
Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1998; Postdoctoral, University of Kansas Medical Center
Our research has largely explored cross-talk between the reproductive and immune systems, with a current focus on the immunological functions of the placenta. One of the fundamental questions surrounding the fields of reproductive physiology and immunology is how the fetus, despite its genetic differences from the mother, resides undisturbed by the mother’s immune system. Because both maternal and paternal genes contribute to the genetic makeup of the fetus, the fetus can be considered "foreign" in terms of the mother's immune system. However, the placenta, which is derived entirely from embryonic tissue, mediates the escape of the fetus from maternal immune cells through several mechanisms.
For example, the placenta can be thought of as a physical barrier, and in some respects, it is immunologically “invisible” to maternal immune cells. We are currently investigating a third mechanism, that is, how the placenta actively mediates escape of the allogeneic fetus from rejection by the maternal immune system through production of immunomodulatory cell-associated and soluble molecules. An understanding of this mechanism will provide much insight not only into the control of fertility, but also into the pathological situations of cancer, autoimmune disease, and allograft rejection.
Hunt,J.S., Petroff, M.G., Morales, P., Sedlmayr, P., Geraghty, D.E., and Ober, C. (2000) HLA-G in reproduction: studies on the maternal-fetal interface. Human Immunol. 61, 1113-1117.
Hunt,J.S., Petroff, M.G., and Burnett, T.G. (2000) Uteroplacental leukocytes: key players in pregnancy. Sem. Cell Dev. Biol. 11, 127-137.
Petroff, M.G., Petroff, B.K., and Pate, J.L. (2001) Mechanisms of cytokine-induced death of cultured bovine luteal cells. Reproduction 121, 753-760.
Petroff,M.G., Phillips, T.A., and Hunt, J.S. (2002) B7 family molecules: novel immunomodulators at the maternal-fetal interface. Placenta Suppl A, S95-S101.
Petroff,M.G., Sedlmayr, P., Azzola, D., and Hunt, J.S. (2002) Decidual macrophages are potentially susceptible to inhibition by class Ia and class Ib HLA Molecules. J. Reprod. Immunol. 56, 3-17.
Petroff, M.G., Chen, L., Philips, T.A.,Sedlmayr, P., and Hunt J.S. (2003) B7 family molecules are favorably positioned at the human maternal-fetal interface. Biol. Reprod. 68, 1496-1504.
Cannon, M.J., Petroff, M.G., and Pate, J.L. (2003) Effects of prostaglandin F2a and progesterone on the ability of bovine luteal cells to stimulate T lymphocyte proliferation. Biol. Reprod. 69, 695-700.
Holtz, R., Choi, J., Petroff, M.G., Hunt, J.S., Piskurich, J., and Murphy, S.P. (2003) CIITA promoter methylation does not correlate with silencing of CIITA transcription in tropohblasts. Biol. Reprod. 69, 915-924
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The University of Kansas Medical Center