The association between acute graft-versus-host disease and antimicrobial peptide expression in the gastrointestinal tract after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

PLoS One. 2017 Sep 21;12(9):e0185265. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185265. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Intestinal microbiota disruption is associated with acute gastrointestinal (GI) Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD) and poor outcome after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Here, in a retrospective analysis of 200 patients undergoing ASCT at the Regensburg University Medical Center, we assessed the relative expression of Paneth cell antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), Human Defensins (HD) 5 and 6 and regenerating islet-derived 3α (Reg3α), in 292 human intestinal biopsies as well as Reg3α serum levels in relation to acute GI GvHD. In the absence of GI GvHD, the relative expression of Paneth cell AMPs was significantly higher in the small intestine (duodenum to ileum) than in the stomach and large intestine (cecum to rectum) for Reg3α (p≤0.001), HD5 (p≤0.002) and HD6 (p≤0.02). Acute stage 2-4 GI GvHD was associated with reduced expression of AMPs in the small intestine (p≤0.01) in comparison to stage 0-1 disease, accompanied by a decrease in Paneth cell count in case of severe acute GI GvHD (p<0.001). The opposite held true for the large intestine as we found stage 2-4 GI GvHD correlated with significantly higher expression of HD5, HD6, and Reg3α compared to mild or no acute GI GvHD (p≤0.002). Severe GI GvHD in both the lower and the upper GI tract also correlated with higher serum concentrations of Reg3α (p = 0.002). As indirect markers of intestinal microbiome diversity low levels of urinary 3-indoxyl sulfate levels were associated with severe stages of acute GI GvHD compared to mild stage or no acute GI GvHD (p = 0.05). In conclusion, acute GI GvHD correlates with intestinal expression of HD5, HD6 and Reg3α as well as Reg3α serum levels and is associated with intestinal dysbiosis.

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Adult
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / metabolism*
  • Biodiversity
  • Gastrointestinal Tract / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation*
  • Graft vs Host Disease / metabolism*
  • Graft vs Host Disease / microbiology
  • Graft vs Host Disease / surgery
  • Graft vs Host Disease / therapy*
  • Humans
  • Microbiota
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Transplantation, Homologous

Substances

  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides

Grants and funding

This work was supported DFG SFB 1066, Project B9: Transfection of tumor-reactive T cells with RNA-loaded nanoparticles; DFG KFO262, Project P9: IDH mutations in the interplay of metabolism and antileukemic immune response; DFG KFO262, Project P12: Impact of drugs targeting tumor metabolism on human CD8 T cell effector functions europenan comission: Project Number 315963; DFG KFO 243 (HE 3116/7-2); German José Carreras Foundation project "GVHD Competence center Regensburg" and the German Research Foundation (DFG GE 671/14-1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.