Characterization of γδ T cell subsets in organ transplantation.
γδ T cells are innate-type lymphocytes that preferentially act as regulators of local effector immune responses. Recent reports found an altered distribution of the two main subpopulations of blood γδ T cells (Vδ1 and Vδ2) in operationally tolerant liver transplant recipients. Based on this, γδ T cells subset quantification was proposed as a biomarker of immunologic risk in liver transplantation. The specific characteristics of γδ T cell subsets in transplantation remain however unknown. We have investigated here the phenotype, repertoire and functional properties of γδ T cell subsets in a large population of allograft recipients. Our results indicate that alterations in the γδ T cell compartment are not restricted to tolerant liver recipients. In fact, most immunosuppressed liver and kidney recipients also display an enlarged peripheral blood γδ T cell pool mainly resulting from an expansion of Vδ1 T cells exhibiting an oligoclonal repertoire and different phenotypic and cytokine production traits than Vδ2 T cells. We propose that persistent viral infections are likely to contribute to these alterations. Our data provide novel insight in the biology of γδ T cells and a rationale for exploring these lymphocytes in more depth into the pathogenesis of viral infections in transplantation.
Puig-Pey
Isabel
I
Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBEREHD, Barcelona, Spain.
Bohne
Felix
F
Benítez
Carlos
C
López
Marta
M
Martínez-Llordella
Marc
M
Oppenheimer
Federico
F
Lozano
Juan José
JJ
González-Abraldes
Juan
J
Tisone
Giuseppe
G
Rimola
Antoni
A
Sánchez-Fueyo
Alberto
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D046528:Chimerism; D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions / Q000235:genetics; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D023001:Transplantation Tolerance; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology
D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions; D016207:Cytokines; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta