학술논문
Donor NK and T Cells in the Periphery of Lung Transplant Recipients Contain High Frequencies of Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor-Positive Subsets
Document Type
article
Author
Anna-Maria Hitz; Kim-Alina Bläsing; Bettina Wiegmann; Ramon Bellmàs-Sanz; Evgeny Chichelnitskiy; Franziska Wandrer; Lisa-Marie Horn; Christine Neudörfl; Jana Keil; Kerstin Beushausen; Fabio Ius; Wiebke Sommer; Murat Avsar; Christian Kühn; Igor Tudorache; Jawad Salman; Thierry Siemeni; Axel Haverich; Gregor Warnecke; Christine S. Falk; Jenny F. Kühne
Source
Frontiers in Immunology, Vol 12 (2021)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
1664-3224
Abstract
IntroductionFor end-stage lung diseases, double lung transplantation (DLTx) is the ultimate curative treatment option. However, acute and chronic rejection and chronic dysfunction are major limitations in thoracic transplantation medicine. Thus, a better understanding of the contribution of immune responses early after DLTx is urgently needed. Passenger cells, derived from donor lungs and migrating into the recipient periphery, are comprised primarily by NK and T cells. Here, we aimed at characterizing the expression of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) on donor and recipient NK and T cells in recipient blood after DLTx. Furthermore, we investigated the functional status and capacity of donor vs. recipient NK cells.MethodsPeripheral blood samples of 51 DLTx recipients were analyzed pre Tx and at T0, T24 and 3wk post Tx for the presence of HLA-mismatched donor NK and T cells, their KIR repertoire as well as activation status using flow cytometry.ResultsWithin the first 3 weeks after DLTx, donor NK and T cells were detected in all patients with a peak at T0. An increase of the KIR2DL/S1-positive subset was found within the donor NK cell repertoire. Moreover, donor NK cells showed significantly higher frequencies of KIR2DL/S1-positive cells (p