Evolutionary Cell Biology of the Fetal-Maternal Interface: Reflections on Evolutionary Innovation

The cell biological perspective on the evolution of the Fetal-Maternal Interface has several historical roots.The best known is the immunological paradox, i. e. the maternal tolerance of a semi-allogenous tissue in her body.Clinicians complain this view misleads clinical practice by pushing an incomplete paradigm based on a flawed analogy between an embryo and a xenotransplant.In this book the authors explore three alternative views of this interface: the cell biological paradox involved in embryo attachment, the inflammation paradox, and the tissue biological paradox.The conceptual core of this book is derived from the biological details of these paradoxical metaphors.The unifying idea is that evolutionary transformation of parts of the organism are opposed by the homeostatic tendencies of the body itself.Chapters explore innovations realized by mechanisms overcoming or modifying existing homeostatic mechanisms.On the other hand, the homeostatic mechanisms themselves can become the se