title: The Maastricht Transplant Center: clinical setting and epitope searches in HLA class II molecules: does the structural localization of a polymorphic site contribute to its immunogenicity?
abstract: Our understanding of the immunological processes influencing the clinical outcome after kidney transplantation has advanced majorly over the last few decades. However, many factors still restrict graft and patient survival. Within the Maastricht transplant center we have successfully implemented an alternative immunosuppressive regimen involving Tacrolimus monotherapy in order to minimize the adverse effects associated with long-term use of immunosuppressive drugs. This clinical development has an impact on pre-transplant risk stratification which requires that patients are closely monitored immunologically. In this review we will elaborate on our strategy regarding the analysis of epitopes in HLA-DQ and HLA-DP molecules. In this respect we have also looked at the immunodominance of certain epitopes by assessing their structural localization, conformation and physiochemical properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schellekens
authors.affiliation: Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanderlocht
authors.affiliation: Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Groeneweg
authors.affiliation: Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Voorter
authors.affiliation: Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wieten
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gelens
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: van Duijnhoven
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L W E
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: van Heurn
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M H L
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Christiaans
authors.affiliation: Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.tilanus@mumc.nl.
authors.forename: M G J
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Tilanus
mesh_terms: D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000276:immunology*; D006682:HLA-DP Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000379:methods; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007668:Kidney / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D006682:HLA-DP Antigens; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016559:Tacrolimus
keywords: HLA epitope analysis; Kidney transplantation; Minimal immunosuppression