Simultaneous protection against allograft rejection and graft-versus-host disease after total lymphoid irradiation: Role of natural killer T cells TRANSPLANTATION Liu, Y. P., Li, Z., Nador, R. G., Strober, S. 2008; 85 (4): 607-614

Abstract

The use of combined organ and bone marrow transplantation has been studied extensively in rodent models to induce immune tolerance to organ grafts. However, bone marrow transplants with mature donor T cells can induce graft-versus-host disease even in human leukocyte antigen-matched humans. We determined whether total lymphoid irradiation can simultaneously protect against graft-versus-host disease while facilitating tolerance.To more closely model clinical studies, we added mature donor T cells to bone marrow grafts combined with heart grafts, and compared murine graft and host survival after conditioning with nonmyeloablative total body or total lymphoid irradiation and depletive anti-T-cell antibodies.Conditioning with total lymphoid irradiation protected hosts against both graft-versus-host disease and organ graft rejection. Although nonmyeloblative total body irradiation prevented organ graft rejection, all hosts succumbed to lethal graft-versus host disease. Induction of tolerance with total lymphoid irradiation and anti-T-cell antibodies was dependent on the presence of regulatory host natural killer T cells, and expression of CD1d on donor marrow but not heart graft cells.Conditioning with total lymphoid irradiation and anti-T-cell antibodies prevented host-versus-donor and donor-versus-host alloimmune responses. Tolerance required host natural killer T-cell recognition of CD1d on donor marrow cells.

View details for DOI 10.1097/TP.0b013e31816361ce

View details for Web of Science ID 000253513700017

View details for PubMedID 18347541