Prolonged survival of neonatal porcine islet xenografts in mice treated with a donor-specific transfusion and anti-CD154 antibody

BACKGROUND: Combined treatment with a single donor-specific transfusion (DST) and a brief course of anti-mouse CD154 monoclonal antibody (mAb) to induce co-stimulation blockade leads to long-term murine islet allograft survival. The authors hypothesized that this protocol could also induce long-term survival of neonatal porcine islet cell clusters (NPCC) in chemically diabetic immunocompetent mice and allow their differentiation into functional insulin-producing cells. METHODS: Pancreata from 1- to 3-day-old pigs were collagenase digested and cultured for 8 days. NPCC were recovered and transplanted into the renal subcapsular space. Recipients included chemically diabetic nonobese diabetic (NOD)-scid and C57BL/6 mice that were otherwise untreated, treated with anti-CD154 mAb alone, or treated with DST plus anti-CD154 mAb. Plasma glucose concentration and body weight were measured, and xenografts were examined histologically. RESULTS: NPCC fully differentiated and restored normoglycemia in four of five diabetic NOD-scid recipients but were uniformly rejected by diabetic C57BL/6 recipients. Anti-CD154 mAb monotherapy restored normoglycemia in 4 of 10 (40%) NPCC-engrafted, chemically diabetic C57BL/6 mice, but combined treatment with DST and anti-CD154 mAb restored normoglycemia in 12 of 13 (92%) recipients. Reversal of diabetes required 5 to 12 weeks. Surviving grafts were essentially free of inflammatory infiltrates 15 weeks after transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Combination therapy with a single DST and a brief course of anti-mouse CD154 mAb without maintenance immunosuppression permits survival and differentiation of NPCC in diabetic C57BL/6 mice. Successful grafts were associated with durable restoration of normoglycemia and the absence of graft inflammation.     

Treatment with anti-CD154 antibody and donor-specific transfusion prevents acute rejection of myoblast transplantation

BACKGROUND: Achieving immunological tolerance to transplanted myoblasts would reduce the adverse effects associated with the sustained immunosuppression required for this experimental therapeutic approach in Duchenne muscular dystrophic patients. METHODS: Mdx mice were transplanted with fully allogeneic BALB/c myoblasts in the tibialis anterior muscles. Seven days before transplantation (-7), host mice received 107 total donor spleen cells i.v. (donor-specific transfusion, DST) with 500 microg of anti-CD154 mAb i.p. on days -7, -4, 0, +4. RESULTS: Results showed a high level of dystrophin expression in 83, 60, and 20% of the mice 1, 3, and 6 months, respectively, after transplantation of myoblasts. No antibodies against the donor cells were produced up to 3 months after transplantation. However, abundant activated cytotoxic cells were present in muscles still expressing high percentage of dystrophin positive fibers. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the DST + anti-CD154 mAb treatments effectively prolonged myoblast survival, but this treatment could not develop tolerance to complete allogeneic myoblast transplantation.     

Evaluation of donor-specific transfusion sources: unique failure of bone marrow cells to induce prolonged skin allograft survival with anti-CD154 monoclonal antibody

BACKGROUND: Treatment with anti-CD154 monoclonal antibody (mAb) plus a donor-specific transfusion (DST) of spleen cells prolongs skin allograft survival in mice through a mechanism involving deletion of host alloreactive CD8(+) T cells. It is unknown if other lymphohematopoietic cell populations can be used as a DST. METHODS: Murine recipients of allogeneic skin grafts on day 0 were either untreated or given a DST on day -7 plus 4 doses of anti-CD154 mAb on days -7, -4, 0, and +4. Deletion of CD8(+) alloreactive cells was measured using "synchimeric" CBA recipients, which circulate trace populations of TCR transgenic alloreactive CD8(+) T cells. RESULTS: Transfusion of splenocytes, thymocytes, lymph node cells, or buffy coat cells led to prolonged skin allograft survival in recipients treated with anti-CD154 mAb. In contrast, bone marrow DST failed to delete host alloreactive CD8(+) T cells and was associated with brief skin allograft survival. Transfusions consisting of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells or a mixture of splenocytes and bone marrow cells were also ineffective. CONCLUSIONS: Donor-specific transfusions of splenocytes, thymocytes, lymph node cells, or buffy coat cells can prolong skin allograft survival in recipients treated with costimulation blockade. Bone marrow cells fail to serve this function, in part by failing to delete host alloreactive CD8(+) T cells, and they may actively interfere with the function of a spleen cell DST. The data suggest that transplantation tolerance induction protocols that incorporate bone marrow cells to serve as a DST may not be effective.     

Combination of donor-specific blood transfusion with anti-CD28 antibody synergizes to prolong graft survival in rat liver transplantation

Donor-specific blood transfusion (DST) has been shown to effectively induce tolerance to certain allografts. In addition, it is well known that blockade of costimulatory signals reduces the ability of T cells to respond to alloantigens, prolonging allograft survival in some transplant models. We assessed the effects of single or multiple DSTs in the absence or presence of anti-CD28 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) on graft function and host survival in rat liver transplantation (LTx). Fully MHC-mismatched adult male Dark Agouti (DA) and Lewis (LEW) rats were used as donors and recipients, respectively. Heparinized DA blood was administered to na?ve LEW rats 7 days before LTx [DST(-7d)], 14 and 7 days before LTx [DST(1 x 2)], twice a week for 2 weeks prior to LTx [DST(2 x 2)] and once a week for 4 weeks prior to LTx [DST(1 x 4)]. For some experiments, two different monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to rat CD28 (JJ316 and JJ319) were administered in combination with some DST treatments. We found that DST administration induced a time- and dose-dependent increase in host survival. Treatment of LEW rats with JJ316 or JJ319 mAb alone failed to prolong graft survival over untreated rats; however, the combination of DST(1 x 2) with JJ316 or JJ319 mAb induced indefinite survival at 100 days following surgery. We found that this protective effect was associated with increased numbers of splenic CD4+ CD45RC- but not CD4+ CD25+ foxp3+ T-cells in long-term survivors. Our data suggest that the combination of suboptimal DST with CD28 mAb induces donor-specific tolerance that correlates with enhanced numbers of regulatory T-cells.     

Prolonged allograft survival in anti-CD4 antibody transgenic mice: lack of residual helper T cells compared with other CD4-deficient mice

BACKGROUND: Investigations of the role of CD4 T lymphocytes in allograft rejection and tolerance have relied on the use of mouse models with a deficiency in CD4 cells. However, in mice treated with depleting monoclonal antibody (mAb) and in MHC class II knockout (KO) mice, there are residual populations of CD4 cells. CD4 KO mice had increased CD4- CD8-TCRalphabeta+ helper T cells, and both strains of KO mice could reject skin allografts at the normal rate. In this study, transgenic mice with no peripheral CD4 cells were the recipients of skin and heart allografts. Results were compared with allograft survival in CD4 and MHC class II KO mice. METHODS: GK5 (C57BL/6 bml mice transgenic for a chimeric anti-CD4 antibody) had no peripheral CD4 cells. These mice, and CD4 and class II KO mice, received BALB/c or CBA skin or cardiac allografts. Some GK5 mice were treated with anti-CD8 mAb to investigate the role of CD8 cells in rejection. CD4 and CD8 cells were assessed by FACS and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: BALB/c skin on GK5 mice had a mean survival time +/- SD of 24+/-6 days, compared with 9+/-2 days in wild-type mice. Anti-CD8 mAb prolonged this to 66+/-7 days. BALB/c skin survived 10+/-2 days on class II KO and 14+/-2 days on CD4 KO, both significantly less than the survival seen on GK5 recipients (P<0.001). BALB/c hearts survived >100 days in GK5 recipients and in wild-type recipients treated with anti-CD4 mAb at the time of grafting, in contrast to a mean survival time of 10+/-2 days in untreated wild-type mice. Immunohistochemistry revealed that long-term surviving heart allografts from the GK5 recipients had CD8 but no CD4 cellular infiltrate. These hearts showed evidence of transplant vasculopathy. CONCLUSIONS: The GK5 mice, with a complete absence of peripheral CD4 cells, provide the cleanest available model for investigating the role of CD4 lymphocytes in allograft rejection. Prolonged skin allograft survival in these mice compared with CD4 and MHC class II KO recipients was clearly the result of improved CD4 depletion. Nevertheless, skin allograft rejection, heart allograft infiltration, and vascular disease, mediated by CD8 cells, developed in the absence of peripheral CD4 T cells.     

Evidence that long-term cardiac allograft survival induced by anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody does not require depletion of CD4+ T cells.

Monoclonal antibodies that deplete cells carrying their target antigen are being used increasingly for immunosuppression in clinical and experimental transplantation. We have characterized a panel of rat antimouse CD4 monoclonal antibodies with the aim of establishing, in a vascularized organ transplant model, whether prolonged graft survival can be induced without recipient T cell depletion. The spatial relationship of the epitopes recognized by the anti-CD4 mabs was established. Mabs of the IgG2b isotype were found to profoundly deplete CD4+ T cells in vivo, whereas IgG2a mabs did not. The IgG2b anti-CD4 mab YTS191 and the IgG2a mab KT6 both blocked proliferation of C3H/He leukocytes in mixed leukocyte culture. Potent suppression of rejection and indefinite survival of cardiac allografts, mismatched for both major and multiple minor histocompatibility antigens (C57BL/10, H-2b into C3H/He, H-2k), was achieved with the IgG2b anti-CD4 mab YTS191 that depleted CD4+ T cells, (n = 9, median survival time (MST) greater than 100 days, P less than 0.001). The non-depleting IgG2a anti-CD4 mab, KT6, which had been shown to recognize and epitope on the CD4 molecule closely related to that recognized by YTS191 and to block comparably in MLC, was also shown to be capable of producing long-term cardiac graft survival in this strain combination (n = 6, MST greater than 100 days P less than 0.001). The kinetics of the KT6 therapy on the blocking of the CD4 molecule in vivo were investigated and shown to correlate with the effectiveness of the mab in prolonging graft survival.     

Depleting anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody (GK1.5) treatment: influence on regulatory CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells in mice

BACKGROUND: CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells are often essential for the maintenance of immunologic self-tolerance and transplant tolerance in some cases. The effects of depleting anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody (GK1.5), which was used in transplant tolerance induction, on CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells have not been investigated. METHODS: Three weeks after BALB/c mice were injected with GK1.5 or phosphate-buffered saline, the levels, phenotype and immunosuppressive function of CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells in these mice were detected. RESULTS: The numbers of CD4 and CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells in the periphery were markedly decreased in GK1.5-treated mice. However, GK1.5 treatment significantly enhanced the ratios of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells or CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3 T cells to CD4(+) T cells in the periphery (P<0.01). Compared with the control mice, more CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells in GK1.5-treated mice showed CD45RB and CD62L phenotype. Furthermore, enriched CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells in GK1.5-treated mice show immunosuppressive ability on the immune response of T effector cells to alloantigens or mitogen as efficiently as those from the control mice in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: GK1.5 could significantly enhance the percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) Treg cells in the periphery while keeping these cells functional, indicating that GK1.5 might affect the potential induction of immune tolerance by different influences on CD4(+)CD25(+)Treg cells and CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells in periphery.     

CD4+CD25+T细胞联合CD154单抗抑制大鼠肝移植急性排斥反应的研究

目的探讨CD4 CD25 T细胞联合应用CD154单抗在抑制大鼠肝移植急性排斥反应中的作用。方法分离Lewis大鼠脾脏CD4 _CD25 T细胞后与DA大鼠脾细胞单向混合淋巴细胞反应行体外激活。用"二袖套法"行DA到Lewis的原位肝移植48例。A组为对照组;B、C组单独术前回输体外激活的CD4 CD25 T细胞或术后腹腔注射抗CD154单抗;D组联合应用CD4 CD25 T细胞和CD154单抗。每组大鼠12对。术后7 d各组处死6只受体,检测移植肝内T细胞亚群和细胞因子水平。余大鼠观察生存情况,死亡大鼠观察移植肝病理变化。结果D组受体生存期(52.00±10.64)d明显长于B、C组(P<0.01);移植肝内CD4 CD25 T细胞比例(16.43±4.28)%明显高于B、C组(P<0.05、P<0.01),而淋巴细胞浸润数量[(3.47±1.21)%×106]和(CD8 T细胞百分比(14.19±3.02)%明显低于B、C组(P<0.05、P<0.01);移植肝内白细胞介素- 2(IL-2)水平(6.44±1.83)ng/L低于B、C组(P<0.05),IL-10(43.72±7.55)ng/L和转化生长因子-β1(TGF-β1)(270.06±46.91)ng/L明显高于B、C组(P<0.05、P<0.01)。结论联合应用CD154单抗能明显增强CD4 CD25 调节性T细胞对大鼠肝移植急性排斥反应的抑制作用。     

Anti-mouse CD154 antibody treatment facilitates generation of mixed xenogeneic rat hematopoietic chimerism, prevents wasting disease and prolongs xenograft survival in mice

BACKGROUND: The induction of xenogeneic hematopoietic chimerism is an attractive approach for overcoming the host response to xenografts, but establishing xenogeneic chimerism requires severe myeloablative conditioning of the recipient. The goal of this study was to determine if co-stimulation blockade would facilitate chimerism and xenograft tolerance in irradiation-conditioned concordant recipients. METHODS: Wistar Furth rat bone marrow (BM) cells were injected into irradiation-conditioned C57BL/6 mice with or without co-administration of anti-mouse CD154 monoclonal antibody (mAb). Chimerism was quantified by flow cytometry, and mice were transplanted with WF rat skin and islet xenografts. RESULTS: Blockade of CD40-CD154 interaction facilitated establishment of xenogeneic chimerism in mice conditioned with 600 cGy irradiation. Anti-CD154 mAb was not required for establishment of chimerism in mice treated with 700 cGy. However, mice irradiated with 700 cGy but not treated with anti-CD154 mAb developed a "graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-like" wasting syndrome and died, irrespective of their development of chimerism. Xenogeneic chimeras established with irradiation and anti-CD154 mAb treatment exhibited prolonged skin and, in many cases, permanent islet xenograft survival. Chimerism was unstable and eventually lost in most recipients. Skin xenografts were rejected even in mice that remained chimeric, whereas most islet xenografts survived to the end of the observation period. CONCLUSIONS: Blockade of host CD40-CD154 interaction facilitates the establishment of xenogeneic chimerism and prevents wasting disease and death. Chimerism permits prolonged xenograft survival, but chimerism generated in this way is unstable over time. Skin xenografts are eventually rejected, whereas most islet xenografts survive long term and perhaps permanently.     

Prolongation of allograft and xenograft survival in mice by anti-CD2 monoclonal antibodies.

Anti-CD2 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) were used to influence graft survival in two transplantation models. Xenogeneic rat islets were transplanted intraportally into mice. Anti-CD2 mAb prolonged xenograft survival and was synergistic with UVB irradiation in prolonging survival. Anti-CD2 mAb was also more potent than an anti-CD4 mAb in this model. Allogeneic cardiac grafts were transplanted across an entire H-2 difference and anti-CD2 mAb prolonged allograft survival in a dose-dependent fashion. Kinetic experiments revealed that anti-CD2 mAb was most potent when administered at the time of allografting. A delay in administration of mAb markedly reduced its immunosuppressive effects. Furthermore, additional doses of mAb given after the initial doses provided no increased immunosuppression and anti-CD2 mAbs did not delay rejection of second-set allografts. These findings support the notion that anti-CD2 mAbs interfere with afferent immunity and that CD2 is most important during the initial steps of an immune response. Investigation of the effect of anti-CD2 mAb on cellular immune functions demonstrated, in agreement with previous results, that it caused antigenic down-modulation of CD2 with relative sparing of CD3, CD4, and CD8 cell surface expression. Concomitantly the MLR, CTL, and NK responses were suppressed.     

Blockade of indirect recognition mediated by CD4+ T cells leads to prolonged cardiac xenograft survival

Abstract:  The T-cell response to xenografts is induced by direct and indirect recognition of xenoantigens. Although the importance of indirect recognition is well established in vitro, the contribution of this pathway to xenograft rejection in vivo remains to be fully elucidated. We herein investigated the direct contribution of indirect recognition to cardiac xenograft rejection in the rat-to-mouse (PVG.R8-to-C57BL/10) concordant model. Rat xenoantigens invoked a vigorous proliferative response in mouse T cells harvested from naïve or graft recipients at rejection. Indirect recognition predominated the response, as antibodies against mouse class II I-A^b, CD80, or CD86 molecules significantly (45 to 60%) blocked the proliferative response. Importantly, the blockade of indirect recognition in vivo by treating the graft recipients with a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against class II I-A^b molecule on days 0, 1, and 3 post-transplantation resulted in significant ( P  < 0.009) prolongation of cardiac xenograft survival (Mean Survival Time (MST) >94 ± 55 days vs. 7 ± 0.8 days for controls). In contrast, treatment of recipients with a mAb against mouse class I H-2K^b/D^b molecules did not significantly affect graft rejection (MST = 8 ± 1 days). These results demonstrate that indirect recognition mediated by CD4⁺ T cells plays a critical role in the rejection of cardiac grafts in the rat-to-mouse xenogeneic model.