Unraveling the Crucial Roles of FoxP3+ Regulatory T Cells in Vascularized Composite Allograft Tolerance Induction and Maintenance
- 30 October 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) in Transplantation
- Vol. 105 (6), 1238-1249
- https://doi.org/10.1097/tp.0000000000003509
Abstract
Background: The role of regulatory T cells (Treg) in tolerance induction of vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) remains unclear. This study was designed to examine characteristics of Treg after VCA, and their capacity to rescue allografts from rejection. Methods: Osteomyocutaneous allografts were transplanted from Balb/c to C57BL/6 mice. All mice received costimulatory blockade and a short course of rapamycin. To elucidate the role of Treg for tolerance induction, Treg depletion was performed at postoperative day (POD) 0, 30 or 90. To assess capacity of Treg to rescue allografts from rejection, injection of 2x106 Treg isolated from tolerant mice was applied. Results: 80% of VCA recipient mice using costimulatory blockade and RPM regimen developed tolerance. The tolerant recipients had higher ratio of circulating Treg to effector T cells and elevated IL-10 at POD 30. A significantly higher rejection rate was observed when Treg were depleted at POD 30. But Treg depletion at POD 90 had no effect on tolerance. Treg from tolerant recipients showed stronger suppressive potential, and the ability to rescue allografts from rejection. Furthermore, transplanted Treg-containing skin grafts from tolerant mice delayed rejection elicited by adoptively transferred Teff to Rag2-/- mice. Conclusion: Circulating Treg are crucial for inducing VCA tolerance in early posttransplant phase and allograft-residing Treg may maintain the tolerance. Treg may therefore serve as a potential cellular therapeutic to improve VCA outcomes.This publication has 46 references indexed in Scilit:
- Homing of Regulatory T Cells to Human Skin Is Important for the Prevention of Alloimmune-Mediated Pathology in an In Vivo Cellular Therapy ModelPLOS ONE, 2012
- Basis of CTLA-4 function in regulatory and conventional CD4+ T cellsBlood, 2012
- Activated regulatory T cells are the major T cell type emigrating from the skin during a cutaneous immune response in miceJCI Insight, 2010
- Composite Tissue Vasculopathy and Degeneration Following Multiple Episodes of Acute Rejection in Reconstructive TransplantationAmerican Journal of Transplantation, 2010
- Dual effects of the alloresponse by Th1 and Th2 cells on acute and chronic rejection of allotransplantsEuropean Journal of Immunology, 2009
- Regulatory T Cells Sequentially Migrate from Inflamed Tissues to Draining Lymph Nodes to Suppress the Alloimmune ResponseImmunity, 2009
- Presence of FoxP3+ Regulatory T Cells Predicts Outcome of Subclinical Rejection of Renal AllograftsJournal of the American Society of Nephrology, 2008
- The Banff 2007 Working Classification of Skin-Containing Composite Tissue Allograft PathologyAmerican Journal of Transplantation, 2008
- IPEX and the role of FOXP3 in the development and function of human TregsJCI Insight, 2006
- The value of flow cytometric crossmatch in cardiac transplantationTransplant International, 1994