title: Significant frequencies of T cells with indirect anti-donor specificity in heart graft recipients with chronic rejection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to determine whether T cells with indirect allospecificity could be detected in heart transplant recipients with chronic rejection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Human T-cell clones were used to determine the most effective way to deliver major histocompatibility complex alloantigens for indirect presentation. Seven allograft recipients with evidence of progressive, chronic rejection were selected. Four heart graft recipients with no evidence of chronic rejection were used as controls. Peripheral blood T cells and antigen-presenting cells from the recipients were cultured with frozen/thawed stored donor cells or major histocompatibility complex class I-derived synthetic peptides in limiting dilution cultures and then compared with controls using tetanus toxoid and frozen/thawed third-party cells with no human leukocyte antigens in common with the donor. In 5 of 7 patients analyzed who had chronic rejection, elevated frequencies of T cells with indirect, anti-donor specificity (iHTLf) were detected. No such elevated iHTLf were detected in recipients without chronic rejection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  iHTLf can be obtained from human transplant recipients, which supports the contention that the indirect pathway is involved in chronic transplant rejection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK. philhrnck@aol.com
authors.forename: P I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Hornick
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hernandez-Fuentes
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frasca
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Yacoub
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Batchelor
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Lechler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004330:Drosophila; D000939:Epitopes; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007519:Isoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014019:Tissue Donors
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen; D007519:Isoantigens; D010446:Peptide Fragments