title: Detection of microchimerism by minor histocompatibility antigen HA-1 allele-specific nested polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: Minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags) can induce T-cell reactivities with important consequences for the graft-versus-leukemia effect and the development of graft-versus-host disease in HLA-matched stem cell transplantation settings. Recently, mHag-specific T cells were also demonstrated in multiparous woman and in solid organ transplant recipients. Microchimeric cells have been detected in the latter settings. To study whether microchimerism is instrumental in the induction and/or maintenance of mHag T cells, we developed an HA-1 allele-specific nested polymerase chain reaction. To optimize and validate the reliability of this method at different levels of microchimerism, serial dilutions of HA-1(H) cells titrated into HA-1(R) cells were tested. We demonstrated that the HA-1(H) allele can be reliably and consistently detected at concentrations as low as 1:10(5) without losing specificity. The developed HA-1-specific nested polymerase chain reaction is an important tool that facilitates the detection of HA-1 microchimerism in various clinical specimens and that promotes investigation of the effects of microchimerism on induction of mHag-specific T cells in the various settings of immunization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. B.Wieles@lumc.nl
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wieles
authors.forename: Jos
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pool
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Derks
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Burlingham
authors.forename: Els
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goulmy
mesh_terms: D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D015778:Minor Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014180:Transplantation; D018183:Transplantation Chimera / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C110615:HA-1 antigen; D015778:Minor Histocompatibility Antigens; D009842:Oligopeptides