title: Role of HLA antigens in liver transplantation with special reference to cellular immune reactions.
abstract: In previous statistical analyses we have demonstrated the importance of the dualistic effect of HLA on liver transplant survival: HLA compatibility decreases cellular rejection but also increases other immunologically mediated, HLA-restricted mechanisms of allograft injury. More recently these results have been confirmed by other researchers, and several studies have shown higher recurrence rates of infectious diseases such as hepatitis B and C and CMV hepatitis for HLA-compatible liver transplants. Although current practice does not consider HLA in liver transplantation, cellular in vitro studies show a significant role of HLA antigens in clinically relevant phenomena. While increasing the amount of infection-related immune damage, HLA compatibility also decreases the alloproliferative response of the recipient to the donor tissue. Further studies must examine whether non-HLA antigens such as tissue-specific antigens and heat-shock-proteins participate in this process, and how target cells can present different peptides such as soluble HLA antigens or viral proteins to the recipient.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Markus
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Duquesnoy
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Blaheta
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Encke
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000502:physiology*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens