Expression of the c-kit proto-oncogene in rat hepatic allografts during acute rejection.
The role of the c-kit proto-oncogene in organ allograft rejection is not known. We investigated the level of c-kit expression following allogeneic transplantation of ACI rat liver grafts into LEW recipients. We studied c-kit mRNA and protein expression in groups of transplant recipients receiving hepatic isografts, hepatic allografts, or hepatic allografts after donor-specific blood transfusion (DST). Pretransplantation DST significantly prolonged survival of hepatic allografts. Infiltrates expressing c-kit were observed in allografts to untreated rats but not in groups receiving isografts or allografts following DST. Northern analysis also demonstrated abundant c-kit mRNA transcripts in the untreated allograft group in contrast to the isograft and the DST-treated groups. In addition, significantly more transcripts for interleukin-12 (IL-12), which is synergistic with c-kit, were present in untreated than in DST-treated allograft groups. In contrast, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), which inhibits c-kit synthesis, was expressed abundantly in hepatic allografts to DST-treated rats but not in allografts to untreated animals. Transcripts for IL-10, which inhibits IL-12 production, were significantly more plentiful in hepatic allografts following DST than in those without DST. The results suggest that c-kit proto-oncogene expression in infiltrating cells is associated with rat hepatic allograft rejection.
Yamaguchi
Y
Y
Department of Surgery II, Kumamoto University Medical School, Kumamoto, Japan.
Okabe
K
K
Matsumura
F
F
Akizuki
E
E
Matsuda
T
T
Ohshiro
H
H
Liang
J
J
Ishihara
K
K
Mori
K
K
Ogawa
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002465:Cell Movement; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015870:Gene Expression; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006085:Graft Survival; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit