Amniotic fluid soluble human leukocyte antigen G is markedly decreased in offspring with neural tube defects.

Pregnancies affected by a neural tube defect show changes in thymus morphology, neonatal and maternal T-cell repertoire. Amniotic fluid levels of soluble human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) (an immuno-modulatory protein) were found to be significantly lower as compared to controls. This may reflect a diminished cell-mediated immunity in neural tube defects.