title: A major role for the Fas pathway in acute graft-versus-host disease.
abstract: Recent studies have suggested a role for the Fas pathway in the wasting syndrome associated with lpr-->wild-type bone marrow transplants. To directly examine whether Fas ligand has a major role in the development of acute graft-vs-host disease (GVHD), Fas ligand-deficient (gld) mice were used as donors and C3H/HeJ x C57BL/6F1 as recipients in the parent-into-F1 model of acute GVHD. Transplantation of C3H/gld spleen cells induced significantly less host lymphoid depletion and was associated with less antihost cytotoxic activity in vitro when compared with wild-type C3H donor cells. The reduced depletion of host lymphocytes was explained by both impaired antihost T cell cytolytic activity and by reduced expansion of gld donor T cells in F1 recipients. These findings not only indicate that the Fas ligand is an important effector molecule in acute GVHD, but also provide in vivo evidence supporting a role for Fas/Fas ligand interactions in T cell expansion and maturation.
authors.affiliation: Research Service, Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center, and Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201, USA.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Via
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shustov
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Drappa
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Elkon
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; C505658:Fasl protein, mouse; D007376:Interleukin-2; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D019014:fas Receptor