title: Dendritic cells expressing soluble CTLA4Ig prolong antigen-specific skin graft survival.
abstract: Dendritic cells (DCs) and CTLA4Ig are important in regulating T-cell responses and therefore represent potential therapeutic tools in transplantation. In this study, CTLA4Ig was expressed in a C57BL/6 murine DC line (JAWS II) by lentiviral transduction and these cells were used to examine T-cell immunomodulatory effects in vitro and in vivo. A lower stimulation index to C57BL/6 was observed with splenocytes from BALB/c mice primed with JAWS II-CTLA4Ig compared with control JAWS II-green fluorescent protein (JAWS II-GFP). Mice primed with JAWS II-CTLA4Ig cells had significantly prolonged antigen-specific C57BL/6 skin graft survival compared with either JAWS II-GFP-primed or naïve mice (median 13, 11 and 11 days, respectively, P=0.0001). Furthermore, JAWS II-CTLA4Ig-primed mice that had been previously transplanted with skin grafts were re-transplanted with skin grafts 6 months later without immune manipulation. These mice demonstrated specific prolongation of second-set rejection responses, indicating systemic immune modulation induced by genetically modified DC. The mechanism was not due to expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase or induction of circulating regulatory T cells as assessed by flow cytometry of the peripheral blood lymphocytes. This potent effect demonstrated with skin grafts and second-set responses highlights the potential use of this strategy for transplantation more generally.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Francesco L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Ierino
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mulley
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dodge
authors.forename: Yu Qin
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Effie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mouhtouris
authors.forename: Dale
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Christiansen
authors.forename: Mauro S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sandrin
mesh_terms: D000069594:Abatacept; D000818:Animals; D048708:Cell Growth Processes / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000235:genetics; D018796:Immunoconjugates / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000235:genetics; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000235:genetics; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018796:Immunoconjugates; D000069594:Abatacept