Acute Antibody-Mediated Rejection in Presence of MICA-DSA and Successful Renal Re-Transplant with Negative-MICA Virtual Crossmatch

PLoS One. 2015 May 29;10(5):e0127861. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127861. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

The presence of donor-specific alloantibodies (DSAs) against the MICA antigen results in high risk for antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) of a transplanted kidney, especially in patients receiving a re-transplant. We describe the incidence of acute C4d+ AMR in a patient who had received a first kidney transplant with a zero HLA antigen mismatch. Retrospective analysis of post-transplant T and B cell crossmatches were negative, but a high level of MICA alloantibody was detected in sera collected both before and after transplant. The DSA against the first allograft mismatched MICA*018 was in the recipient. Flow cytometry and cytotoxicity tests with five samples of freshly isolated human umbilical vein endothelial cells demonstrated the alloantibody nature of patient's MICA-DSA. Prior to the second transplant, a MICA virtual crossmatch and T and B cell crossmatches were used to identify a suitable donor. The patient received a second kidney transplant, and allograft was functioning well at one-year follow-up. Our study indicates that MICA virtual crossmatch is important in selection of a kidney donor if the recipient has been sensitized with MICA antigens.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Female
  • Graft Rejection / blood*
  • Graft Rejection / immunology
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / blood*
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / immunology
  • Histocompatibility Testing*
  • Humans
  • Isoantibodies / blood*
  • Isoantibodies / immunology
  • Kidney Transplantation*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged

Substances

  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I
  • Isoantibodies
  • MHC class I-related chain A

Grants and funding

This study was supported in part by research funds provided by the National Natural Science Fund of China (No. 81273265), Hunan Science and Technology Fund (No. 2013FJ2005) and Hunan Health Science Fund (B2013-003).