Regulatory CD4+CD25hi T cells conserve their function and phenotype after granulocyte colony-stimulating factor treatment in human hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), mediated by CD4(+) and CD8(+) effector T cells, is a life-threatening complication in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. CD4(+)CD25(hi) regulatory T cells (T(reg)) have been shown to modulate tolerance to aGVHD in murine models. Based on these observations, we examined their role in the prevention of aGVHD in patients who underwent transplantation with peripheral blood-mobilized hematopoietic stem cells after administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. The effects of the G-CSF on the phenotype, frequency, and function of CD4(+)CD25(hi) T cells were analyzed in grafts and after transplantation to determine whether these cells were regulatory T cells. CD4(+)CD25(hi) T cells could be detected at the same frequency before and after granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administration in the donors' peripheral blood. The isolation of these cells from the grafts or from the recipients' peripheral blood after transplantation revealed that they were suppressive to the same extent as T(reg) isolated from healthy volunteers. Their number and frequency were estimated in the grafts and the results indicated that protection against aGVHD was not dependent on the T(reg) amount transferred to the recipients. Similarly there was no correlation between the number of circulating CD4(+)CD25(hi) T cells in the recipients' peripheral blood during the early period after transplantation and the outcome of aGVHD.
Unité pour la Recherche et l'Enseignement Supérieur 3889, Faculté de Médecine, Laboratoire d'Immuno-Hématologie, Rennes, France.
Grégory
G
Noël
Denis
D
Bruniquel
Sophie
S
DeGuibert
Brigitte
B
Birebent
Jean-Marc
JM
Grosset
Marc
M
Bernard
Charlie
C
Dauriac
Thierry
T
Lamy-de-la-Chapelle
Gilbert
G
Semana
Carine
C
Brinster
D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000328:Adult; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019650:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014181:Transplantation Immunology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor