Role of intra-islet endothelial cells in islet allo-immunity.
BACKGROUND
Intra-islet endothelial cells (IECs) express high levels of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and are pivotal for posttransplant islet revascularization. We postulated that donor-specific sensitization would result in hyperacute rejection of IECs and prevent islet engraftment. Furthermore, ligation of endothelial cells with subsaturating concentrations of anti-MHC class I antibody (Ab) results in "accommodation" conferring protection against Ab/complement-mediated lysis. Therefore, we investigated whether accommodation of IECs would prevent hyperacute rejection of islets in sensitized recipients.


METHODS
Islets were transplanted beneath the kidney capsule and allograft survival monitored using daily blood glucose (diabetes >300 mg/dL, normoglycemia <150 mg/dL). Recipients were presensitized with donor islets, splenocytes, or skin. Accommodation was induced by incubating human or murine islets with varying concentrations of anti-MHC class I Ab ex vivo.


RESULTS
Isografts remained functional for >100 days, whereas allografts were rejected by day 14. Islet allo-transplantation induced donor-specific but not third-party anti-MHC Abs. Donor-specific, but not third-party, sensitization induced hyperacute rejection of subsequent islet allografts (median survival 1 day) associated with complement deposition. Preincubation of islets with subsaturating concentrations of anti-MHC-I Abs (1-100 ng/mL) up-regulated Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, and HO-1 within CD31+ IEC. These accommodated islets were resistant against hyperacute rejection when transplanted into donor-(splenocyte) sensitized recipients without any immunosuppression (median survival 6 days).


CONCLUSIONS
Pretransplant sensitization against donor antigens results in hyperacute rejection of murine islets. IECs may play a crucial role in development of donor-specific immunity after islet transplantation. Significantly, accommodation of IEC may confer resistance to hyperacute rejection in sensitized recipients.
Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
Ankit
A
Bharat
Deepti
D
Saini
Nicholas
N
Benshoff
Jeremy
J
Goodman
Niraj M
NM
Desai
William C
WC
Chapman
Thalachallour
T
Mohanakumar
D000818:Animals; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000517:prevention & control; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology*; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000276:immunology; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000276:immunology
D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D003165:Complement System Proteins