Peripheral blood immune cell profiling of acute corneal transplant rejection. Issue 10 (29th June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hjortdal, Jesper; Griffin, Matthew D.; Cadoux, Marion; Armitage, W. John; Bylesjo, Max; Gabhann, Peadar Mac; Murphy, Conor C.; Pleyer, Uwe; Tole, Derek; Vabres, Bertrand; Walkinshaw, Malcolm D.; Gourraud, Pierre‐Antoine; Karakachoff, Matilde; Brouard, Sophie; Degauque, Nicolas
• Is Part Of: American journal of transplantation. Volume 22:Issue 10(2022)
• Page Start: 2337
• Page End: 2347
• Publication Date: 2022-06-29
• Subjects: biomarker -- corneal transplantation/ophthalmology -- flow cytometry -- rejection: acute -- translational research/science; Transplantation of organs, tissues, etc -- Periodicals; 617.95
• DOI: 10.1111/ajt.17119
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1600-6135

Abstract

Abstract : Acute rejection (AR) of corneal transplants (CT) has a profound effect on subsequent graft survival but detailed immunological studies in human CT recipients are lacking. In this multi‐site, cross‐sectional study, clinical details and blood samples were collected from adults with clinically diagnosed AR of full‐thickness (FT)‐CT ( n = 35) and posterior lamellar (PL)‐CT ( n = 21) along with Stable CT recipients ( n = 177) and adults with non‐transplanted corneal disease ( n = 40). For those with AR, additional samples were collected 3 months later. Immune cell analysis was performed by whole‐genome microarrays (whole blood) and high‐dimensional multi‐color flow cytometry (peripheral blood mononuclear cells). For both, no activation signature was identified within the B cell and T cell repertoire at the time of AR diagnosis. Nonetheless, in FT‐ but not PL‐CT recipients, AR was associated with differences in B cell maturity and regulatory CD4 + T cell frequency compared to stable allografts. These data suggest that circulating B cell and T cell subpopulations may provide insights into the regulation of anti‐donor immune response in human CT recipients with differing AR risk. Our results suggest that, in contrast to solid organ transplants, genetic or cellular assays of peripheral blood are unlikely to be clinically exploitable for prediction or diagnosis of AR. Abstract : This multi‐site study comparing the blood lymphocyte repertoire of patients with acutely rejecting corneal transplants, with stable corneal transplants, and with native corneal disease reveals no evidence of immune activation in rejection but differences in B cell maturation and regulatory T cell frequency