Strategies to induce marked prolongation of secondary skin allograft survival in alloantigen-primed mice

Am J Transplant. 2008 Apr;8(4):761-72. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2007.02143.x. Epub 2008 Feb 5.

Abstract

Alloreactive memory T cells mediate accelerated rejection. We investigated the effect of polyclonal anti-T-cell antibody (ALS) and rapamycin (RAPA) on skin allograft survival in naïve or alloantigen-primed mice. ALS prolonged graft survival in both naïve and alloantigen-primed mice. T-cell depletion by ALS was associated with increased CD4(+)CD44(hi)OX40(+) and CD8(+)CD44(hi)CD122(+) memory T cells. Addition of RAPA to ALS extended graft survival in naïve mice, but had no effect on secondary allograft survival in alloantigen-primed mice. In adoptive transfer experiments, RAPA inhibited alloantigen-stimulated proliferation and allograft rejection by naïve T cells. In contrast, alloantigen-primed memory T cells, particularly CD4(+)CD44(hi)OX40(+) and CD8(+)CD44(hi)CD122(+) T cells, were resistant to RAPA in response to alloantigen and mediated accelerated rejection in the presence of RAPA. Resistance to RAPA by alloantigen-primed mice was overcome by the use of high-dose ALS, which achieved marked prolongation of secondary skin allograft survival (>100 days). Inhibition of CD122(+) T cells and/or OX40/OX40L costimulation blockade, combined with low-dose ALS and RAPA, was also effective. These results demonstrate that tolerance may be achieved in allosensitized individuals by T-cell depletion- and RAPA-based strategies employing high-dose ALS or targeting CD122(+)CD8(+) T cells and/or the OX40/OX40L costimulatory pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes
  • Graft Rejection / immunology
  • Graft Rejection / prevention & control
  • Graft Survival*
  • Immunologic Memory
  • Isoantibodies / therapeutic use*
  • Lymph Nodes / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred DBA
  • Mice, Inbred Strains
  • Models, Animal
  • Sirolimus / therapeutic use
  • Skin Transplantation / immunology*
  • Skin Transplantation / pathology
  • Skin Transplantation / physiology
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Transplantation, Homologous

Substances

  • Isoantibodies
  • Sirolimus