Bone marrow transplantation concurrently reconstitutes donor liver and immune system across host species barrier in mice

PLoS One. 2014 Sep 5;9(9):e106791. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106791. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Liver immunopathologic mechanisms during hepatotropic infection, malignant transformation, and autoimmunity are still unclear. Establishing a chimeric mouse with a reconstituted liver and immune system derived from a single donor across species is critical to study regional donor immune responses in recipient liver. Using a strain of mice deficient in tyrosine catabolic enzyme fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (fah-/-) and bone marrow transplantation (BMT), we reconstituted the donor's hepatocytes and immune cells across host species barrier. Syngeneic, allogeneic or even xenogeneic rat BMT rescued most recipient fah-/- mice against liver failure by donor BM-derived FAH+ hepatocytes. Importantly, immune system developed normally in chimeras, and the immune cells together with organ architecture were intact and functional. Thus, donor BM can across host species barrier and concurrently reconstitutes MHC-identical response between immune cells and hepatocytes, giving rise to a new simple and convenient small animal model to study donor's liver immune response in mice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bone Marrow Cells / cytology
  • Bone Marrow Cells / metabolism
  • Bone Marrow Transplantation*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Chimera
  • Graft Survival
  • Hepatocytes / cytology
  • Hepatocytes / metabolism
  • Hydrolases / genetics
  • Hydrolases / metabolism
  • Immune System / physiology*
  • Liver Failure / etiology
  • Liver Failure / metabolism
  • Liver Failure / therapy
  • Liver Function Tests
  • Liver Regeneration*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Models, Animal
  • Rats
  • Regeneration*
  • Tissue Donors*
  • Transplantation, Heterologous
  • Transplantation, Homologous
  • Transplantation, Isogeneic

Substances

  • Hydrolases
  • fumarylacetoacetase

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Ministry of Science & Technology of China (Basic Science Project #2013CB531503, #2013CB944902), Natural Science Foundation of China (#31390433), and National Science & Technology Major Projects(#2012ZX10002006). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.