title: Endothelial cells: a novel key player in immunoregulation in acute graft-versus-host disease?
abstract: Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a lethal complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation where activated donor T cells attack the genetically disparate host cells. The main target organs of the T cells in GVHD are the skin, liver, and intestine. In order to explain why the lung, one of the barrier organs, is spared from the injury of effector T cells, we hypothesize that endothelial cells are essential for immune regulation in acute GVHD. The proposed mechanism including Th1 cells apoptosis induced by endothelial cells expressing Tim-3 ligand galectin-9, and differential expression levels of galectin-9 on endothelial cells in various organs. The elucidation of the detailed cellular and molecular mechanisms that involved may help to a better understanding of immunoregulation in acute GVHD. Furthermore, the hypothesis may offer improved insight into new therapeutic strategy to reduce the severity of GVHD.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: You
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D004727:Endothelium / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D037161:Galectins / Q000502:physiology; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands
chemical_list: D037161:Galectins; D008024:Ligands