Characterization of mixed allogeneic chimeras. Immunocompetence, in vitro reactivity, and genetic specificity of tolerance.

Mixed allogeneically reconstituted mice (B10 + B10.D2----B10) that specifically accept B10.D2 tail skin allografts were examined for in vivo and in vitro immunocompetence, patterns of hematopoietic repopulation, and in vitro reactivity. In vitro, mixed allogeneic chimeras (B10 + B10.D2----B10) manifested specific tolerance in mixed lymphocyte reactions and cell-mediated lympholysis to B10 and B10.D2 splenocytes, with normal responses to third-party (B10.BR) cells. Such chimeras were immunocompetent in B cell and helper T cell responses, as assessed by their primary plaque forming cell responses to in vivo sheep red blood cell immunization. This is in contrast to fully allogeneic chimeras, which responded less well. In addition, survival of the mixed allogeneic chimeras in a conventional animal facility was superior to that of fully allogeneic chimeras, and similar to syngeneically reconstituted (B10----B10) mice. Specific tolerance to skin grafts, degree of allogeneic engraftment, and persistence of chimerism was also assessed in a noncongenic mixed allogeneic combination (B10 + C3H----B10). Such animals manifested specific hyporeactivity to C3H skin allografts, but eventual chronic rejection of the grafts occurred in spite of stable and persistent mixed chimerism. MHC-congenic (B10.BR) skin grafts were accepted indefinitely in the same animals, suggesting that skin-specific non-major histocompatibility complex antigens were responsible for rejection of the C3H skin allografts

Long-term survival of donor-specific pancreatic islet xenografts in fully xenogeneic chimeras (F344 rat to B10 mouse)

We recently reported that reconstitution of lethally irradiated BIO mouse recipients with 40x10s untreated WF rat bone marrow cells resulted in stable fully xenogeneic chimerism (WF rat → B10 mouse). In these animals, the tolerance induced for skin xenografts was highly MHC specific in that donor-specific WF rat skin grafts were significantly prolonged while MHC-dispar-ate third-party xenografts were rapidly rejected (median survival time [MST] = 9 days). We have now examined whether islet cell xenografts placed under the renal capsule of chimeras rendered diabetic with strep-tozotocin would be accepted and remain functional to maintain euglycemia. Animals were prepared, typed for chimerism at 6 weeks, and diabetes induced with strep-tozotocin. Donor-specific WF (RtlA") islet cell xenografts were significantly prolonged (MST >180 days) in WF → B10 chimeras, while MHC-disparate third-party F344 rat (RtlA1) grafts were rejected with a time course similar to unmanipulated BIO mice (MST=8 days). The transplanted donor-specific islet cells were functional to maintain euglycemia, since removal of the grafts at from 100 to 180 days in selected individual chimeras uniformly resulted in return of the diabetic state. These data suggest that donor-specific islet cell xenografts are accepted and remain functional in mice rendered tolerant to rat xenoantigens following bone marrow transplantation. © 1992 by Williams and Wilkins

Association of mixed hematopoietic chimerism with elevated circulating autoantibodies and chronic graft-versus-host disease occurrence.

International audienceBACKGROUND: Use of a reduced-intensity conditioning regimen before an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is frequently associated with an early state of mixed hematopoietic chimerism. Such a coexistence of both host and donor hematopoietic cells may influence posttransplant alloreactivity and may affect the occurrence and severity of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) as well as the intensity of the graft-versus-leukemia effect. Here we evaluated the relation between chimerism state after reduced-intensity conditioning transplantation (RICT), autoantibody production, and chronic GVHD (cGVHD)-related pathology. METHODS: Chimerism state, circulating anticardiolipin, and antidouble stranded DNA autoantibody (Ab) titers as well as occurrence of cGVHD-like lesions were investigated in a murine RICT model. RESULTS: We observed a novel association between mixed chimerism state, high levels of pathogenic IgG autoantibodies, and subsequent development of cGVHD-like lesions. Furthermore, we found that the persistence of host B cells, but not dendritic cell origin or subset, was a factor associated with the appearance of cGVHD-like lesions. The implication of host B cells was confirmed by a host origin of autoantibodies. CONCLUSION: Recipient B cell persistence may contribute to the frequency and/or severity of cGVHD after RICT

History of clinical transplantation

The emergence of transplantation has seen the development of increasingly potent immunosuppressive agents, progressively better methods of tissue and organ preservation, refinements in histocompatibility matching, and numerous innovations is surgical techniques. Such efforts in combination ultimately made it possible to successfully engraft all of the organs and bone marrow cells in humans. At a more fundamental level, however, the transplantation enterprise hinged on two seminal turning points. The first was the recognition by Billingham, Brent, and Medawar in 1953 that it was possible to induce chimerism-associated neonatal tolerance deliberately. This discovery escalated over the next 15 years to the first successful bone marrow transplantations in humans in 1968. The second turning point was the demonstration during the early 1960s that canine and human organ allografts could self-induce tolerance with the aid of immunosuppression. By the end of 1962, however, it had been incorrectly concluded that turning points one and two involved different immune mechanisms. The error was not corrected until well into the 1990s. In this historical account, the vast literature that sprang up during the intervening 30 years has been summarized. Although admirably documenting empiric progress in clinical transplantation, its failure to explain organ allograft acceptance predestined organ recipients to lifetime immunosuppression and precluded fundamental changes in the treatment policies. After it was discovered in 1992 that long-surviving organ transplant recipient had persistent microchimerism, it was possible to see the mechanistic commonality of organ and bone marrow transplantation. A clarifying central principle of immunology could then be synthesized with which to guide efforts to induce tolerance systematically to human tissues and perhaps ultimately to xenografts