Mast cells and c-Kit expression in liver allograft rejection.
OBJECTIVE
The pathogenesis of rejection following liver transplantation is not fully understood. It has been postulated that mast cells may play a role in acute and chronic rejection of a number of other solid organ grafts. The aim of this study was to assess the possible role of mast cells and c-Kit+ cells in acute and chronic liver allograft rejection.


RESULTS
Biopsy specimens from (i) 'time zero' grafts with a minimal degree of perfusion injury (controls), (ii) transplanted livers with different grades of acute rejection, and (iii) transplanted livers with end-stage chronic rejection, were stained immunohistochemically using monoclonal anti-mast cell tryptase and polyclonal anti-c-Kit antibodies. Tryptase- and c-Kit-positive cell densities were assessed by image analysis. Tryptase-positive mast cell densities (P<0.001) were strongly correlated with acute liver allograft rejection grades and chronic liver allograft rejection. Furthermore, a similarly strong relationship was found between c-Kit+ cell densities and increasing rejection grade (P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Tryptase- and c-Kit-positive mast cells form part of the inflammatory infiltrate in both acute and chronic liver allograft rejection, and may be important effector cells in these processes.
El-Refaie
A M Ahmed
AM
School of Clinical and Laboratory Sciences, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
Burt
A D
AD
D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D053802:Tryptases
D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D053802:Tryptases