B-Cell-Attracting Chemokine-13 (CXCL13) in Human and Murine Kidney Allograft Rejection
Medicine/Nephrology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
Pathology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
Meeting: 2013 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: A658
Purpose: B-cells play an important role in acute renal allograft rejection. It is known that the B-cell-attracting chemokine 13 (CXCL13), which is expressed by dendritic cells (CD11cCD11b+) is highly up regulated in patients with acute B-cell rich transplant rejection. However, not much is known about the pathophysiological role of CXCL13 in the rejection. In this study we investigated a) localisation and amount of B-cells in different types of acute allograft rejection in humans, b) CXL13 levels in sera of patients with different types of acute allograft rejection and c) analysed CXCL13 expression in serum and kidney grafts of mice after allogenic and isogenic kidney transplantation.
Methods: In serum of patients and mice with acute kidney transplant rejection CXCL13 levels were examined by ELISA (R&D systems). Kidney sections of patients with acute rejection and of control patients were stained for CXCL13, B-cell and dendritic cell infiltration. Furthermore, in a translational kidney transplant mouse model isogenic and allogenic (C57Bl/6 on Balb/c) kidney transplantation was performed. Serum levels of CXCL13 over a 4 week period was detected by ELISA. Histologic work up of the kidney grafts included CXCL13, B-cell and dendritic cell staining corresponding to the human study.
Results:
B- cells are detectable in kidney biopsies from patients with allograft rejection in different localizations (e.g. nodular, subcapsular, tubular-interstial). CXCL13 serum levels were significantly higher in patients with an acute kidney allograft rejection compared to patients without rejection. In the kidney transplant mouse model CXCL13 levels in the allogenic group with Banff I-A rejection increased over time and were significantly higher than in the isogenic group. Histologically CXCL13 was detectable in perivascular infiltrates in the allografts but was not detectable in the isografts.
Conclusion:
Taken together CXCL13 is significantly increased in the serum of patients and mice with acute kidney allograft rejection. Elevated CXCL13 levels could help to identify patients at risk for severe allograft rejection.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Schiffer L, Wiehler F, Song R, Vietinghoff Svon, Schiffer M, Gwinner W, Daemmrich M, Haller H, Gueler F. B-Cell-Attracting Chemokine-13 (CXCL13) in Human and Murine Kidney Allograft Rejection [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2013; 13 (suppl 5). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/b-cell-attracting-chemokine-13-cxcl13-in-human-and-murine-kidney-allograft-rejection/. Accessed July 18, 2025.« Back to 2013 American Transplant Congress