title: Cytotoxic T-cell elimination during anti-CD4-induced rat liver acceptance and rapid replacement of functional graft antigen-presenting cells.
abstract: In previous studies, we showed that primed T cells were eliminated in long-term survival Wistar Furth (WF) recipient rats with spontaneously accepted Lewis (LEW) liver graft and that the grafted liver lost the ability to elicit rejection reaction early after liver transplantation. We hypothesized that the same phenomenon may be observed in tolerant animals after immunosuppression in a rejector rat strain combination (WF-->LEW). Furthermore, we proposed the repopulation of liver allograft with host antigen-presenting cells rapidly after transplantation. Recipient LEW rats that underwent anti-CD4 therapy accepted the WF liver allografts after a transient rejection reaction. In tolerant animals, alloreactive CD8 T cell precursors were present, but primed T cells were absent. Intraperitoneal challenge with grafted WF liver homogenates obtained from recipient LEW rats on day 4 after transplantation did not induce transient rejection responses in long-term survival recipient LEW rats, a finding that differed from the results of experiments using normal WF liver homogenates. However, challenge with grafted WF liver homogenates, similar to those of normal LEW liver homogenates, induced rejection responses in long-term survival recipient WF rats with LEW liver allograft. Flow cytometric analysis confirmed that most of nonparenchymal cells in the grafted WF liver were recipient (LEW) genotype. These observations showed that the deletional mechanism of effector T cells also is observed in this setting, and professional donor antigen-presenting cells are replaced by those of recipient genotype within the graft during the early phase of transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery II, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Usui
authors.forename: Junzo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Weili
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanematsu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D005838:Genotype; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000503:physiopathology; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D011920:Rats, Inbred WF; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015704:CD4 Antigens