title: Upregulation of α-enolase in acute rejection of cardiac transplant in rat model: implications for the secretion of interleukin-17.
abstract: Acute allograft rejection remains a major problem in solid organ transplantation. The enzyme α-enolase has been shown to induce an immune response in cardiac transplantation. In this study, we investigated the role of α-enolase in acute allograft rejection in a rat model of heart transplantation. Hearts from either (WF: RT1(u) ) or (Lew: RT1(1) ) rats were transplanted into (Lew: RT1(1) ) rats. No rejection occurred in the isograft group, for which the median survival time was >168 days, whereas the median survival time of the allograft group was significantly less at 10 ± 2.1 days (n = 8 per group, p < 0.001). Increased inflammation was observed in allografts, including increased α-enolase expression and increased numbers of infiltrating CD4(+) T cells (p < 0.05). By immunohistochemical staining, we confirmed that α-enolase was expressed not only in myocardial cells but also in the infiltrating lymphocytes. However, on the fifth day after transplantation, α-enolase expression was no longer observed in the lymphocytes (n = 3, p < 0.001). In contrast, no lymphocytes were found in isografts after transplantation (n = 3, p < 0.001). α-enolase expression was increased in lymphocytes, which are implicated in the acute rejection of cardiac transplants. Intragraft α-enolase inhibition may be useful as an adjuvant therapy to systemic immunosuppression in heart transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China.
authors.forename: Jiahai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Yangcheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xuechao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Dunpeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yinghui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yonghua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology*; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000276:immunology*; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000378:metabolism*; D064596:Isografts; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D011920:Rats, Inbred WF; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; D020381:Interleukin-17; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase
keywords: CD4+ T cells; acute rejection; allograft function; transplantation; α-enolase