Simultaneous quantification of recent thymic T-cell and bone marrow B-cell emigrants in patients with primary immunodeficiency undergone to stem cell transplantation

Clin Immunol. 2010 Aug;136(2):217-27. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2010.04.005. Epub 2010 May 10.

Abstract

A major problem in the field of stem cell transplantation is the difficulty to monitor the efficacy of immune reconstitution. By modifying the widely used method of measuring T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and the recently proposed kappa-deleting recombination excision circles (KRECs) assay, we set up a duplex Real-Time PCR that allowed the simultaneous quantification of newly produced T and B cells in children with primary immunodeficiency undergone to transplantation. We found that lymphocyte recovery involves the mobilization of both new T and B cells from production and maturation sites, and that the increase of TRECs and KRECs can be or strictly associated or independent one from the other. Some patients showed a "lymphocyte rebound" which is followed by a progressive decrease of newly produced T and B lymphocytes starting about 2years after transplantation. In other patients, TRECs and KRECs number remained very low for the entire period of study.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Antigens, CD
  • B-Lymphocytes / physiology*
  • Bone Marrow Cells / physiology*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Severe Combined Immunodeficiency / therapy*
  • T-Lymphocytes / physiology*
  • Thymus Gland / cytology*
  • Time Factors
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antigens, CD