Project description:Transcriptome analysis in human kidney to investigate whether fibrosis with inflammation at one year post transplant predicts transplant functional decline
Project description:We previously observed reduced graft survival for kidney transplants having interstitial fibrosis with subclinical inflammation, but not fibrosis alone, on 1-year protocol biopsy. The current study aimed to determine whether fibrosis with inflammation at 1 year is associated with renal functional decline in a low-risk transplant cohort and to characterize the nature of the inflammation. Subjects were living-donor, tacrolimus/mycophenolate-treated transplant recipients without overt risk factors for reduced graft survival (n=151). Transplants with normal histology (n=86) or fibrosis alone (n=45) on 1-year protocol biopsy had stable renal function between 1 and 5 years, while those having fibrosis with inflammation (n=20) had declining glomerular filtration rate and reduced graft survival. Immunohistochemistry confirmed increased interstitial T-cells and macrophages/dendritic cells in the fibrosis with inflammation group. Gene expression was performed on a subset of biopsies in each group and demonstrated increased expression of transcripts related to innate and cognate immunity in transplants having fibrosis with inflammation. Pathway- and pathological process-specific analyses of microarray profiles revealed that, in fibrosis with inflammation, over-expressed transcripts were enriched for potentially damaging immunological activities including Toll-like receptor signaling, antigen presentation/dendritic cell maturation, interferon gamma-inducible response, cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated and acute rejection-associated genes. Thus, fibrosis with inflammation in 1-year protocol biopsies is associated with reduced graft survival and function and with a rejection-like gene expression signature even in recipients with no clinical risk for inferior outcome. Early interventions aimed at altering rejection-like inflammation may favor improved long-term KTx survival. We analyzed gene expression from a group of 65 renal transplant recipients. Patient groups were carefully selected to include patients on the same immunosuppression (Prograf-MMF-Pred), transplant type (LD), absence of over post-transplant complications (AR, BK, DGF). For each patient a 1 year protocol biopsy was examined by conventional histology and gene expression. By histology the patients were categorized as histologically normal (n=25, i/cg/ci=0), IF/TA (n=24, i/cg=0, ci>0) and IFTA+i (n=16, cg=0, i/ci>0). This dataset is part of the TransQST collection.
Project description:Introduction. Factors contributing to kidney transplant fibrosis remain incompletely understood—particularly in the absence of acute complications. Methods. Baseline and one-year surveillance biopsies from 15 uncomplicated living donor kidney transplants were subjected to microarray and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses in order to examine changes in gene expression patterns over time. Biopsy pairs were purposefully selected from allografts with no history of acute complications and were divided into those that were histologically normal (n = 7) and those that had developed subclinical interstitial fibrosis (n = 8) at 1 year. Results. Compared to the paired baseline specimens, expression levels of 3578 probesets were found altered in all the one-year biopsies studied. A large proportion of the upregulated genes in this transplant-associated profile were functionally linked with inflammation, immunity or response to injury. These included components of inflammation-related signaling pathways (integrin, interferon and TLR) as well as individual mediators of inflammatory and immune responses. An additional 2884 probesets demonstrated altered expression in fibrotic grafts only at 1 year. The gene products in this fibrosis-associated profile were also predominantly linked with inflammation and immune function, suggesting exaggerated inflammatory activity within the fibrotic grafts. qRT-PCR analyses confirmed the predicted expression patterns for selected transcripts from the microarray profiles. Conclusions. Transcriptional profiles of histologically normal living donor renal allografts indicate that there is ongoing injury response and inflammation at 1 year compared to the immediate post-transplant period. Subclinical development of interstitial fibrosis during the first post-transplant year is associated with additional upregulation of inflammation-related genes. Keywords: time course, comparative expression We analyzed gene expression from a group of 15 renal transplant patients. All patients had histologically normal time zero biopsy but while 7 remained histologically normal (TxNorm), 8 developed subclinical interstitial fibrosis (GIF/TA) by 1 year. Patient groups were carefully selected to include patients on the same immunosuppresion therapy, transplant type, biopsy histology and absence of overt post-transplant complications (acute rejection, BK, etc). This dataset is part of the TransQST collection.
Project description:We previously observed reduced graft survival for kidney transplants having interstitial fibrosis with subclinical inflammation, but not fibrosis alone, on 1-year protocol biopsy. The current study aimed to determine whether fibrosis with inflammation at 1 year is associated with renal functional decline in a low-risk transplant cohort and to characterize the nature of the inflammation. Subjects were living-donor, tacrolimus/mycophenolate-treated transplant recipients without overt risk factors for reduced graft survival (n=151). Transplants with normal histology (n=86) or fibrosis alone (n=45) on 1-year protocol biopsy had stable renal function between 1 and 5 years, while those having fibrosis with inflammation (n=20) had declining glomerular filtration rate and reduced graft survival. Immunohistochemistry confirmed increased interstitial T-cells and macrophages/dendritic cells in the fibrosis with inflammation group. Gene expression was performed on a subset of biopsies in each group and demonstrated increased expression of transcripts related to innate and cognate immunity in transplants having fibrosis with inflammation. Pathway- and pathological process-specific analyses of microarray profiles revealed that, in fibrosis with inflammation, over-expressed transcripts were enriched for potentially damaging immunological activities including Toll-like receptor signaling, antigen presentation/dendritic cell maturation, interferon gamma-inducible response, cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated and acute rejection-associated genes. Thus, fibrosis with inflammation in 1-year protocol biopsies is associated with reduced graft survival and function and with a rejection-like gene expression signature even in recipients with no clinical risk for inferior outcome. Early interventions aimed at altering rejection-like inflammation may favor improved long-term KTx survival.
Project description:Introduction. Factors contributing to kidney transplant fibrosis remain incompletely understood—particularly in the absence of acute complications. Methods. Baseline and one-year surveillance biopsies from 15 uncomplicated living donor kidney transplants were subjected to microarray and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses in order to examine changes in gene expression patterns over time. Biopsy pairs were purposefully selected from allografts with no history of acute complications and were divided into those that were histologically normal (n = 7) and those that had developed subclinical interstitial fibrosis (n = 8) at 1 year. Results. Compared to the paired baseline specimens, expression levels of 3578 probesets were found altered in all the one-year biopsies studied. A large proportion of the upregulated genes in this transplant-associated profile were functionally linked with inflammation, immunity or response to injury. These included components of inflammation-related signaling pathways (integrin, interferon and TLR) as well as individual mediators of inflammatory and immune responses. An additional 2884 probesets demonstrated altered expression in fibrotic grafts only at 1 year. The gene products in this fibrosis-associated profile were also predominantly linked with inflammation and immune function, suggesting exaggerated inflammatory activity within the fibrotic grafts. qRT-PCR analyses confirmed the predicted expression patterns for selected transcripts from the microarray profiles. Conclusions. Transcriptional profiles of histologically normal living donor renal allografts indicate that there is ongoing injury response and inflammation at 1 year compared to the immediate post-transplant period. Subclinical development of interstitial fibrosis during the first post-transplant year is associated with additional upregulation of inflammation-related genes. Keywords: time course, comparative expression
Project description:Histologic findings on 1-year biopsies such as inflammation with fibrosis and transplant glomerulopathy predict renal allograft loss by 5 years. However, almost half of the patients with graft loss have a 1-year biopsy that is either normal or has only interstitial fibrosis. The goal of this study was to determine if there was a gene expression profile in these relatively normal 1-year biopsies that predicted subsequent decline in renal function. Using transcriptome microarrays we measured intragraft mRNA levels in a retrospective Discovery cohort (170 patients with a normal/minimal fibrosis 1-year biopsy, 54 with progressive decline in function/graft loss and 116 with stable function) and developed a nested 10-fold cross-validated gene classifier that predicted progressive decline in renal function (positive predictive value=38±34%%; negative predictive value=73±30%, c-statistic=0.59). In a prospective, multicenter Validation cohort (270 patients with Normal/Interstitial Fibrosis [IF]), the classifier had a 20% positive predictive value, 85% negative predictive value and 0.58 c-statistic. Importantly, the majority of patients with graft loss in the prospective study had 1-year biopsies scored as Normal or IF. We conclude predicting graft loss in many renal allograft recipients (i.e. those with a relatively normal 1-year biopsy and eGFR >40) remains difficult.
Project description:Background: Despite significant improvements in short-term kidney transplant survival, comparable increases in 5 and 10-year outcomes have not been achieved. Chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) is a major cause of late graft loss. Toxic nephropathy and inadequate long-term immunosuppression are possible factors. We performed a randomized prospective trial comparing calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-free to CNI-based immunosuppression to determine the impact on renal function, structure, and gene expression. Methods: Sixty-one kidney recipients received mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and prednisone (P). Randomized patients received concentration-controlled sirolimus or cyclosporine. Two years post-transplant 55 patients underwent renal function studies, 48 (87%) underwent transplant biopsies; all classified by Banff scoring and 41 by DNA microarrays. Findings: Comparing sirolimus/MMF/P to cyclosporine/MMF/P at two years, there was a significantly lower serum creatinine (1.35 vs. 1.81 mg/dl; p=0.008), significantly higher Cockroft-Gault glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (80.4 vs. 63.4 cc/min; p=0.008), iothalamate GFR (60.6 vs. 49.2 cc/min; p= 0.018), and Banff 0 (normal) biopsies (66.6 vs. 20.8%; p=0.013). Regression analysis of calculated GFR’s from 1 to 36 months yielded a positive slope for sirolimus of 3.36 ml/min/year, and a negative slope for cyclosporine of –1.58 ml/min/year (p=0.008). Gene expression profiles of kidney biopsies with higher Banff CAN scores confirmed significant up regulation of genes responsible for immune/inflammation and fibrosis/tissue remodeling. Interpretation: At two years the sirolimus-treated patients have better renal transplant function, a diminished prevalence of CAN, and down regulated expression of genes responsible for the progression of CAN. All may provide for an alternative natural history with improved graft survival. Keywords = Cyclosporine Keywords = Sirolimus Keywords = Transplantation Keywords = DNA microarrays Keywords = calcineurin inhibitors Keywords: parallel sample. This dataset is part of the TransQST collection.
Project description:Background: Despite significant improvements in short-term kidney transplant survival, comparable increases in 5 and 10-year outcomes have not been achieved. Chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) is a major cause of late graft loss. Toxic nephropathy and inadequate long-term immunosuppression are possible factors. We performed a randomized prospective trial comparing calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-free to CNI-based immunosuppression to determine the impact on renal function, structure, and gene expression. Methods: Sixty-one kidney recipients received mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and prednisone (P). Randomized patients received concentration-controlled sirolimus or cyclosporine. Two years post-transplant 55 patients underwent renal function studies, 48 (87%) underwent transplant biopsies; all classified by Banff scoring and 41 by DNA microarrays. Findings: Comparing sirolimus/MMF/P to cyclosporine/MMF/P at two years, there was a significantly lower serum creatinine (1.35 vs. 1.81 mg/dl; p=0.008), significantly higher Cockroft-Gault glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (80.4 vs. 63.4 cc/min; p=0.008), iothalamate GFR (60.6 vs. 49.2 cc/min; p= 0.018), and Banff 0 (normal) biopsies (66.6 vs. 20.8%; p=0.013). Regression analysis of calculated GFR’s from 1 to 36 months yielded a positive slope for sirolimus of 3.36 ml/min/year, and a negative slope for cyclosporine of –1.58 ml/min/year (p=0.008). Gene expression profiles of kidney biopsies with higher Banff CAN scores confirmed significant up regulation of genes responsible for immune/inflammation and fibrosis/tissue remodeling. Interpretation: At two years the sirolimus-treated patients have better renal transplant function, a diminished prevalence of CAN, and down regulated expression of genes responsible for the progression of CAN. All may provide for an alternative natural history with improved graft survival. Keywords = Cyclosporine Keywords = Sirolimus Keywords = Transplantation Keywords = DNA microarrays Keywords = calcineurin inhibitors Keywords: parallel sample