Suppression of lentivirus-mediated transgenic dendritic cells in graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in mice

Genet Mol Res. 2015 Sep 25;14(3):11444-55. doi: 10.4238/2015.September.25.11.

Abstract

We determined whether genetically engineered immature dendritic cells (imDCs) mediated by lentiviral vectors alleviate acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) in mice. We introduced the mouse chemokine receptor 7 (Ccr7) gene into the bone marrow-derived imDCs of C57BL/6 mice to construct genetically engineered imDCs. A 1:1 mixture of bone marrow and spleen cells from the donors was injected into the recipients, which were divided into four groups: radiation, transplantation, empty vector, and transgenic imDC groups. Symptoms, clinical scores, GVHD pathological changes, and survival times and rates of recipients were recorded; secretion of IFN-γ and IL-4, and allogeneic chimerism rates were detected. The survival time of the transgenic imDC group (27.5 ± 7.55 days) was significantly longer than in the other three groups (P < 0.01). The GVHD score of the imDC group mice was significantly lower than in the transplantation and empty vector groups (P < 0.05), which meant that mice in the transgenic imDC group had the lightest pathology damage in the target organs. In the transplantation group, IFN-γ increased while IL-4 decreased. In contrast, IFN-γ decreased and IL-4 increased in both empty vector and trans-imDC groups, and the difference was significant in the latter (P < 0.01). Thirty days or more following transplantation, the allogeneic chimerism rate was still 95-100%, suggesting complete donor type implantation. Ccr7 transfection into imDCs suppressed occurrence and severity of acute GVHD after allo-BMT in mice; the mechanism might be associated with IFN-γ decrease and IL-4 increase.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bone Marrow Transplantation*
  • Cell Movement
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology*
  • Graft vs Host Disease / blood
  • Graft vs Host Disease / immunology*
  • Graft vs Host Disease / pathology
  • Graft vs Host Disease / therapy*
  • Interferon-gamma / blood
  • Interleukin-4 / blood
  • Lentivirus
  • Male
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Organ Specificity
  • Survival Analysis
  • T-Lymphocytes / cytology
  • Transplantation, Homologous

Substances

  • Interleukin-4
  • Interferon-gamma