Immunopathology of graft-versus-host disease in the upper gastrointestinal tract.
Class I and class II (HLA-DR, DP and DQ) MHC antigen expression and the phenotypic nature of the inflammatory infiltrate in gastric and duodenal biopsies in bone marrow transplantation patients with and without graft-versus-host disease were investigated. Increased expression of class I (P less than 0.016) and class II (HLA-DR, DP) antigens (P less than 0.002) was associated with GVHD. The epithelium in two GVHD-positive biopsies was HLA-DP-positive and HLA-DR-negative. None of the tissues expressed HLA-DQ. Association between MHC antigen expression and phenotype of infiltrating cell was then examined. The majority of GVHD biopsies showed an infiltrate composed of CD4+ cells and CD8+ cells. However, the two DP+, DR- biopsies were associated exclusively with CD8+ intraepithelial cells, suggesting sequential events in GVHD, with CD8+ cells infiltrating tissue first associated with HLA-DP expressions, followed by accumulation of CD4+ as well as CD8+ cells in association with expression of HLA-DR.
Nakhleh
R E
RE
Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455.
Snover
D C
DC
Weisdorf
S
S
Platt
J L
JL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004386:Duodenum / Q000032:analysis / Q000473:pathology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000032:analysis / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000032:analysis*; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D013270:Stomach / Q000032:analysis / Q000473:pathology
D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II