Up-Regulation of alpha4beta7 integrin on peripheral T cell subsets correlates with the development of acute intestinal graft-versus-host disease following allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a major complication after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The pathophysiology of aGVHD involves priming of naïve donor T cells in host secondary lymphoid tissue, followed by migration of effector T cells to target organs. Mediators of lymphocyte trafficking are believed to play a significant role in this migration. In this retrospective case-controlled study, we analyzed the expression of alpha4beta7 integrin and CCR9, 2 surface T cell molecules specific for intestinal trafficking, from blood samples collected previously from 59 patients after HSCT (20 without aGVHD, 20 with skin aGVHD, and 19 with intestinal aGVHD). All samples had been obtained before the onset of aGVHD symptoms (with 1 sample collected on the day of symptom onset). Analysis by flow cytometry demonstrated that alpha4beta7 integrin was significantly increased on both naïve and memory T cells in patients who subsequently developed intestinal aGVHD, with the most significant differences observed in memory subsets. Immunohistochemical staining on rectal biopsy specimens from patients with intestinal aGVHD showed that expression of alpha4beta7 integrin was concentrated on mononuclear cells in blood vessels within the intestinal mucosa. These results suggest that alpha4beta7 integrin likely is involved in lymphocyte trafficking in intestinal aGVHD and may have potential clinical use as a correlative biomarker or as a target for the treatment and prophylaxis of intestinal aGVHD after HSCT.
Chen
Yi-Bin
YB
Department of Hematology/Oncology, Division of Bone Marrow Transplantation, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. ychen6@partners.org
Kim
Haesook T
HT
McDonough
Sean
S
Odze
Robert D
RD
Yao
Xiaopan
X
Lazo-Kallanian
Suzan
S
Spitzer
Thomas R
TR
Soiffer
Robert
R
Antin
Joseph H
JH
Ritz
Jerome
J
D000208:Acute Disease; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016023:Integrins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D015854:Up-Regulation
D016023:Integrins; C071777:integrin alpha4beta7