Donor Selection for Killer Immunoglobulin-like Receptors B Haplotype of the Centromeric Motifs Can Improve the Outcome after HLA-Identical Sibling Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

After hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), natural killer (NK) cell alloreactivity in HLA cells of recipients is regulated by killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) on donor NK cells. The effect of KIRs on HSCT outcomes is controversial, particularly in those undergoing HLA-identical sibling HSCT. In this study, effects of KIR and HLA genotypes on the HSCT outcome were investigated in a 5-year retrospective study comprising 219 patient-donor pairs undergoing HLA-identical sibling HSCT for myeloid and lymphoid malignancies. We found that 39.7% (87 of 219) of these pairs, which were KIR mismatched, had better overall survival (OS) and reduced grade III to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), especially in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Bx1 donor KIR genotype with haplotype B on a telomeric region was a risk factor for the OS and relapse-free survival (RFS). Donor centromeric (c) and telomeric (t) KIR haplotype analysis showed that donor KIR cB-tA/tB was associated with improved OS and RFS compared with cA-tA or cA-tB. Furthermore, donor KIR B haplotype of the centromeric motifs (Cen-B) was an independent beneficial factor in improving OS and RFS and in protecting from relapse after HSCT. In AML patients, the occurrence of aGVHD was significantly lower in HLA-C1 group compared with that in HLA-C2 group, although such effect was not observed in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia or chronic myelogenous leukemia. Our results suggest that KIR could impact outcome and donor KIR haplotype with Cen-B confer significant survival benefits to HLA-identical sibling HSCT.