Does graft-versus-host disease attack epithelial stem cells?
Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is the opposite of graft rejection in that a transplant containing donor lymphocytes attacks the host's skin, liver and gut. This disease can usefully also attack host tumor cells. There is a peculiar distribution of normal tissue targets in epithelial stem cell sites, suggesting that GvHD may be the abnormal counterpart of a physiological growth control system. Efforts to understand how the graft-versus-tumor effect could be therapeutically separated from GvHD require further understanding of the mechanisms involved in GvHD.
Sale
G E
GE
Department of Pathology Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98104, USA. gsale@fred.fhcrc.org
D000818:Animals; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II