title: Tolerance induced by IL-6 deficient donor heart is significantly involved in myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Transplant tolerance induced by IL-6 deficient donor is supported by regulatory T cells (Tregs). However, it is unknown whether innate immunoregulatory cells such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are involved in the process.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we demonstrate the role of MDSCs by transplanting IL-6 deficient heart grafts into wild-type recipients in a murine allogeneic transplant model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data further revealed that utilization of IL-6 deficient heart grafts could cause a significant prolongation of allograft survival (Mantel-Cox Test, p = 0.001; Gehan-Breslow-Wilcoxon Test, p = 0.0016) and a remarkable increase of the frequency of CD11b + Gr1(-low) in the recipients' spleens (p = 0.0028).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MDSCs rather than Th17 cells are closely involved in induced tolerance by IL-6 deficient donor heart. This unveiled mechanism of targeting IL-6 or its signaling pathway may provide a novel insight into preventing allograft rejection for non-sensitized transplant recipients.
authors: Department of Surgery and Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou City, People's Republic of China; Department of Medicine, Transplant Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: weihua.gong@gmail.com.
authors: Weihua
authors: W
authors: Gong
authors: Department of Surgery and Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou City, People's Republic of China.
authors: Dawei
authors: D
authors: Shou
authors: Center for Stem Cell and Translation Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei City, People's Republic of China.
authors: Fei
authors: F
authors: Cheng
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo City, People's Republic of China.
authors: Jianguang
authors: J
authors: Shi
authors: Department of Surgery and Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou City, People's Republic of China.
authors: Fangmin
authors: F
authors: Ge
authors: Center for Stem Cell and Translation Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei City, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: dliu2009@gmail.com.
authors: Dahai
authors: D
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D022423:Myeloid Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D023001:Transplantation Tolerance / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6
keywords: Interleukin-6; Myeloid-derived suppressor cells; Tolerance