Gamma delta T cells play no major role in human heart allograft rejection.
To investigate the role of gamma delta T cells in human heart transplantation, we searched for this T cell population in endomyocardial biopsies as well as in T cell lines and clones derived from graft-infiltrating lymphocytes. The number of gamma delta T cells in endomyocardial biopsies from transplanted patients (n = 55) was mostly low and did not differ significantly from nontransplanted patients (n = 21). Moreover, there was no association of gamma delta T cell distribution with rejection status or with time posttransplantation. Graft-derived T cell lines were established in the presence of autologous feeder cells and recombinant interleukin-2 to favor the growth of in vivo-activated T cells. Twenty T cell lines analyzed by flow cytometry showed low percentages of gamma delta T cells, and we were unable to obtain gamma delta T cell clones for functional studies. These results show that gamma delta T cells are poorly expressed on human heart allograft infiltrates and indicate that, when present, they are not activated in the graft. Our data suggest that gamma delta T cells do not have a major role in human heart rejection.
D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D001706:Biopsy; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D015703:Antigens, CD; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta