Soluble donor DNA concentrations in recipient serum correlate with pancreas-kidney rejection.
BACKGROUND
There is no reliable serum marker available to monitor incipient pancreas or islet-cell rejection. We tested the hypothesis that quantification of donor-specific genomic DNA in serum (from tissue damage) can serve as a marker of rejection.


METHODS
Using a recently developed panel of HLA-specific quantitative PCR assays (Q-PCR), we tested 158 sera from 42 pancreas-kidney transplant recipients. Temporally related biopsies for 65 sera permitted analysis for correlation of donor DNA concentrations with rejection.


RESULTS
Donor DNA concentrations were higher in sera from recipients who had experienced allograft rejection (n = 31) than from those who had not (n = 34). Median concentrations, expressed as the genome-equivalent (gEq) number of donor cells per 10(6) host cells, were 2613 and 59 gEq/10(6), respectively (P = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
Q-PCR for donor-specific genetic polymorphisms merits further investigation as a noninvasive approach to monitor pancreas-kidney as well as other types of allograft rejection.
Gadi
Vijayakrishna K
VK
Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA. vkgadi@u.washington.edu
Nelson
J Lee
JL
Boespflug
Nicholas D
ND
Guthrie
Katherine A
KA
Kuhr
Christian S
CS
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D004247:DNA / Q000097:blood*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008875:Middle Aged; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D044967:Serum; D012995:Solubility; D014019:Tissue Donors; D018183:Transplantation Chimera / Q000235:genetics*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D015415:Biomarkers; D006680:HLA Antigens; D004247:DNA