Induction of transplantation tolerance to fully mismatched cardiac allografts by T cell mediated delivery of alloantigen

Clin Immunol. 2010 Aug;136(2):174-87. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2010.04.012. Epub 2010 May 8.

Abstract

Induction of transplantation tolerance has the potential to allow for allograft acceptance without the need for life-long immunosuppression. Here we describe a novel approach that uses delivery of alloantigen by mature T cells to induce tolerance to fully allogeneic cardiac grafts. Adoptive transfer of mature alloantigen-expressing T cells into myeloablatively conditioned mice results in long-term acceptance of fully allogeneic heart transplants without evidence of chronic rejection. Since myeloablative conditioning is clinically undesirable we further demonstrated that adoptive transfer of mature alloantigen-expressing T cells alone into mice receiving non-myeloablative conditioning resulted in long-term acceptance of fully allogeneic heart allografts with minimal evidence of chronic rejection. Mechanistically, tolerance induction involved both deletion of donor-reactive host T cells and the development of regulatory T cells. Thus, delivery of alloantigen by mature T cells induces tolerance to fully allogeneic organ allografts in non-myeloablatively conditioned recipients, representing a novel approach for tolerance induction in transplantation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adoptive Transfer
  • Animals
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Graft Rejection / immunology
  • Graft Rejection / prevention & control*
  • Heart Transplantation / immunology*
  • Isoantigens / administration & dosage*
  • Isoantigens / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Inbred CBA
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Time Factors
  • Transplantation Tolerance / immunology*
  • Transplantation, Homologous / immunology*
  • Whole-Body Irradiation

Substances

  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • Foxp3 protein, mouse
  • Isoantigens