Graft-versus-leukemia and graft-versus-host reactions after donor lymphocyte infusion are initiated by host-type antigen-presenting cells and regulated by regulatory T cells in early and long-term chimeras. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2006 Apr;12(4):397-407
Date
03/21/2006Pubmed ID
16545723DOI
10.1016/j.bbmt.2005.11.519Scopus ID
2-s2.0-33644898608 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 56 CitationsAbstract
Regulatory T (T(reg)) cells and host antigen-presenting cells (APCs) have been implicated in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect after donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI), but their relative contributions remain unclear in early versus long-term complete donor or mixed murine allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) chimeras. We have previously demonstrated that donor HSC-derived Thy1(+) T(reg) cells, consisting primarily of CD4(+)CD25(+) cells, play an important role in the suppression of graft-versus-host (GVH) reactivity when DLI is given to complete donor chimeras 28 days after HSC transplantation. Data presented here demonstrate that protection against GVHD exerted by Thy1(+) T(reg) cells is less evident with time and eventually is not required in long-term complete donor chimeras because of an absence of host-type APCs to activate alloreactive T cells. Lethal GVHD was observed when Thy1(+) T(reg) cells were depleted from complete donor chimeras given by DLI at day 28, 35, or 42; however, T(reg) cell depletion and DLI at day 70 no longer induced GVHD-associated mortality. Moreover, the failure of DLI to induce GVHD with T(reg) depletion correlated with a loss of the DLI-induced GVL effect in long-term (day 100) complete donor chimeras. In contrast to the results from complete donor chimeras, GVL reactivity in day 100 mixed chimeras was robust after DLI. Loss of a DLI-induced GVL effect in long-term complete donor chimeras was attributed to the absence of host APCs because the infusion of exogenous host-type dendritic cells partially restored both DLI-induced GVL and GVH reactions in day 100 complete donor chimeras. The GVL and GVH reactions restored by infusion of host dendritic cells in day 100 complete donor chimeras were at least partially regulated by T(reg) cells because transient depletion of CD25(+) cells increased both the GVL effect and the severity of GVHD after DLI. Taken together, these data suggest that T(reg) cells can regulate DLI-induced GVL and GVH reactions in both early and long-term complete donor chimeras, and a state of mixed chimerism is superior to complete donor chimerism because host-type APCs facilitate a DLI-induced GVL effect without severe GVHD.
Author List
Xia G, Truitt RL, Johnson BDAuthor
Bryon D. Johnson PhD Adjunct Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsAntigen-Presenting Cells
Graft vs Host Disease
Graft vs Leukemia Effect
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Leukemia, Experimental
Lymphocyte Transfusion
Mice
Mice, Inbred AKR
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory
Transplantation Chimera
Transplantation, Homologous