title: Chemokine-binding viral protein M-T7 prevents chronic rejection in rat renal allografts.
abstract: M-T7 is a myxoma virus-encoded protein that has been found to bind and disrupt human chemokine gradients. This study examined whether purified M-T7 could prevent chronic rejection in a rat renal allograft model. Fisher F344 renal allografts were transplanted into Lewis rats. Recipients were randomly grouped into two groups: control animals treated with cyclosporine alone and animals treated with cyclosporine combined with low-, medium- and high-dose M-T7 viral protein. The survival rate was not significantly different between allograft groups. Renal allografts treated with high-dose M-T7 demonstrated a significant reduction in tubular atrophy, glomerular atrophy, vascular hyalinization, cortical scarring, and lymphocyte infiltration. Morphometric analyses demonstrated that the high-dose M-T7 group also showed a significantly decreased amount of glomerulosclerosis and transplant arteriosclerosis. These data demonstrate for the first time that the immunoregulatory viral protein M-T7 can effectively attenuate chronic rejection in rat renal allografts.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Surgery, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Eric L R
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Bédard
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jifu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Parry
authors.forename: Liying
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bertha
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Grant
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McFadden
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018925:Chemokines / Q000276:immunology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D017471:Receptors, Interferon / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000276:immunology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D018925:Chemokines; C091989:M-T7 protein, Myxoma virus; D017471:Receptors, Interferon; D014764:Viral Proteins