Approaches and challenges in targeting memory T cells in transplant tolerance.
Memory T cells are an important cell type in the immune system and are vital to protective immunity against invading pathogens. However, a significant fraction of memory T cells is found to be alloreactive in transplant models, i.e. they can readily attack and dismantle allografts in transplant models. As memory T cells are not as easily amenable as naive T cells, memory T cells constitute a potent barrier to the induction of transplant tolerance. The key issues concerning memory T cells in transplantation are related to the tolerability of alloreactive memory T cells and the effects of commonly used immunosuppressive drugs on the memory response in transplant recipients. The real challenge in the future is to selectively tolerize alloreactive memory T cells but spare those involved in protective immunity following organ transplantation. This review will discuss recent advances in our understating of memory T cells in transplant models, with specific emphasis on the problems and challenges in targeting memory T cells in the induction of transplant tolerance.
Chen
Ming
M
Transplant Research Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Li
Xian Chang
XC
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D014181:Transplantation Immunology; D023001:Transplantation Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*