title: Dendritic cell chimerism in oral mucosa of transplanted patients affected by graft-versus-host disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is one of the main complications after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Clinical features of GVHD include either an acute (aGVHD) or a chronic (cGVHD) condition that affects locations such as the oral mucosa. While the involvement of the host's dendritic cells (DCs) has been demonstrated in aGVHD, the origin (donor/host) and mechanisms underlying oral cGVHD have not been completely elucidated. In this study, we intend to determine the origin of DCs present in mucosal tissue biopsies from the oral cavity of transplanted patients affected by cGVHD.
  
  
  METHODS
  We purified DCs, from oral biopsies of three patients with cGVHD, through immunobeads and subsequently performed DNA extraction. The origin of the obtained DCs was determined by PCR amplification of 13 informative short tandem repeat (STR) alleles. We also characterised the DCs phenotype and the inflammatory infiltrate from biopsies of two patients by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinical and histological features of the biopsies were concordant with oral cGVHD. We identified CD11c-, CD207- and CD1a-positive cells in the epithelium and beneath the basal layer. Purification of DCs from the mucosa of patients affected by post-transplantation cGVHD was >95%. PCR-STR data analysis of DCs DNA showed that 100% of analysed cells were of donor origin in all of the evaluated patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrate that resident DCs isolated from the oral tissue of allotransplanted patients affected by cGVHD are originated from the donor. Further research will clarify the role of DCs in the development and/or severity of oral cGVHD.
authors.affiliation: Cell Therapy Laboratory, Blood Bank Service, University of Chile Clinical Hospital, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Claudio A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.affiliation: Cell Therapy Laboratory, Blood Bank Service, University of Chile Clinical Hospital, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rabanales
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rojas-Alcayaga
authors.affiliation: Cell Therapy Laboratory, Blood Bank Service, University of Chile Clinical Hospital, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Milton
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larrondo
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Alejandro F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Escobar
authors.affiliation: Cell Therapy Laboratory, Blood Bank Service, University of Chile Clinical Hospital, Santiago, Chile.|Disciplinary Program of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.|Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Mercedes N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: López
authors.affiliation: Disciplinary Program of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.|Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Flavio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Salazar-Onfray
authors.affiliation: Cell Therapy Laboratory, Blood Bank Service, University of Chile Clinical Hospital, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Jorge I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Alfaro
authors.affiliation: Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.|Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Fermín E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: González
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D018949:Antigens, CD1 / Q000032:analysis; D039521:CD11c Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D037181:Lectins, C-Type / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D037241:Mannose-Binding Lectins / Q000032:analysis; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D018183:Transplantation Chimera; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D018949:Antigens, CD1; D039521:CD11c Antigen; C419393:CD1a antigen; C121916:CD207 protein, human; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D037241:Mannose-Binding Lectins
keywords: chimerism; dendritic cells; graft-versus-host disease; oral mucosa