Depletion of foxp3(+) T cells abrogates tolerance of skin and heart allografts in murine mixed chimeras without the loss of mixed chimerism.

ABSTRACT: The relative contribution of central and peripheral mechanisms to the generation and maintenance of allograft tolerance is of considerable interest. Here, we present new evidence that regulatory T cells (Foxp3(+) ) maintain skin and heart allograft tolerance in mixed hematopoietic chimeric mice. Transient depletion of both donor- and recipient-derived Foxp3(+) cells was necessary and sufficient to induce decisive rejection of long-accepted skin and heart allografts. In contrast, stable hematopoietic chimerism remained, and there was no detectable induction of donor-specific reactivity to hematopoietic cells. Foxp3(+) cell depletion did not result in the rejection of skin grafts of only MHC-disparate donors (B6.C-H2(d) /bByJ), indicating that MHC antigens were not the target in the graft. W

SUBMITTER: Shinoda K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4523231 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature