Immune privilege induced by cotransplantation of islet and allogeneic testicular cells.
OBJECTIVE
To induce islet allograft long-term survival through cotransplantation of islet cells with sertoli cells.


METHODS
Testicular sertoli cells were prepared by digestion with collagenase, trypsin and DNase, and were cultured for 48 hours. Collagenase digested and Ficoll purified donor (Wistar rat) islets were cotransplanted with allogeneic sertoli cells in the absence of systemic immunosuppression. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated X-dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) was used to label apoptosis of lymphocytes surrounding the islet graft.


RESULTS
Cotransplantation of islets and 1 x 10(7) sertoli cells reversed the diabetic state for more than 60 days in 100% (6/6) of the chemically diabetic Sprague Dawley rats. Grafts consisting of islets alone or islets plus 1 x 10(5) sertoli cells survived only for 5-6 days. Apoptosis of lymphocytes surrounding the islets was quite clear.


CONCLUSIONS
Cotransplantation of islets with FasL+ sertoli cells induces local immune privilege and allows long-term graft survival without systemic immunosuppression.
Lan
P
P
Department of Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China. lpzm@yahoo.com
Zhan
W
W
Wang
J
J
Yan
L
L
Xiao
L
L
Wu
X
X
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D006085:Graft Survival; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000637:transplantation*
D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; C505662:Faslg protein, rat; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins