B-cell immunity in the context of T-cell tolerance after combined kidney and bone marrow transplantation in humans.

ABSTRACT: Five patients with end-stage kidney disease received combined kidney and bone marrow transplants from HLA haploidentical donors following nonmyeloablative conditioning to induce renal allograft tolerance. Immunosuppressive therapy was successfully discontinued in four patients with subsequent follow-up of 3 to more than 6 years. This allograft acceptance was accompanied by specific T-cell unresponsiveness to donor antigens. However, two of these four patients showed evidence of de novo antibodies reactive to donor antigens between 1 and 2 years posttransplant. These humoral responses were characterized by the presence of donor HLA-specific antibodies in the serum with or without the deposition of the complement molecule C4d in the graft. Immunofluorescence staining, ELISA assays and antibo

SUBMITTER: Porcheray F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2837587 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature