ATC Abstracts

American Transplant Congress abstracts

  • Home
  • Meetings Archive
    • 2022 American Transplant Congress
    • 2021 American Transplant Congress
    • 2020 American Transplant Congress
    • 2019 American Transplant Congress
    • 2018 American Transplant Congress
    • 2017 American Transplant Congress
    • 2016 American Transplant Congress
    • 2015 American Transplant Congress
    • 2013 American Transplant Congress
  • Keyword Index
  • Resources
    • 2021 Resources
    • 2016 Resources
      • 2016 Welcome Letter
      • ATC 2016 Program Planning Committees
      • ASTS Council 2015-2016
      • AST Board of Directors 2015-2016
    • 2015 Resources
      • 2015 Welcome Letter
      • ATC 2015 Program Planning Committees
      • ASTS Council 2014-2015
      • AST Board of Directors 2014-2015
      • 2015 Conference Schedule
  • Search

Deletion of AIF-1 Promotes Kidney Reparative Macrophages and Prevents Fibrosis

I. Husain, A. Dangi, X. Luo

Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC

Meeting: 2022 American Transplant Congress

Abstract number: 659

Keywords: Inflammation, Interferon (IFN), Renal ischemia, Warm ischemia

Topic: Basic Science » Basic Science » 14 - Ischemia Reperfusion

Session Information

Session Name: Ischemia Reperfusion

Session Type: Poster Abstract

Date: Saturday, June 4, 2022

Session Time: 5:30pm-7:00pm

 Presentation Time: 5:30pm-7:00pm

Location: Hynes Halls C & D

*Purpose: A major etiology contributing to poor allograft survival is the inevitable ischemic insult it incurs during transplantation. Macrophages are key players in ischemia-reperfusion injury, however, their potential to be harnessed for their reparative functions is yet to be discovered. Allograft Inflammatory Factor-1 (AIF-1) is expressed primarily in macrophages and has been implicated in chronic heart allograft rejection, but its role in kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury is entirely unknown.

*Methods: Kidneys from AIF-1 KO and WT mice were subjected to unilateral warm ischemia for 30 minutes via a left renal pedicle clamp and contralateral nephrectomy was performed prior to sacrifice. Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages (BMDM) were cultured using bone marrow cells treated with m-CSF and subsequently stimulated with LPS (100ng/ml) and IFN-γ (20ng/ml).

*Results: Significant upregulation of AIF-1 expression was seen in the kidney after ischemic injury. This correlated positively with the degree of fibrosis and progressing time from the initial injury, up to 28 days. Using flow cytometry, we found that AIF-1 in the kidney was predominantly expressed by infiltrating macrophages. Interestingly, the deficiency of AIF-1 resulted in significantly lowered fibrosis, improved kidney function, and higher kidney weight at 28 days after ischemia. Furthermore, ischemic kidneys from AIF-1 KO when compared to WT mice, showed a significantly higher number of reparative macrophages (CD206/Mrc-1+) which also expressed higher levels of Arginase-1, Ym-1 and CD163. Additionally, BMDMs from AIF-1 KO mice show lowered inflammatory cytokine production (i.e. IL1β, ΙL12p35) after IFN-γ and LPS stimulation. All of this strongly supports that AIF-1 is central to the inflammatory to reparative macrophage phenotypic switch after ischemia. Lowered inflammatory cytokine production prevents augmentation of initial injury while the enrichment in reparative macrophages improves healing of injured kidney tissue, likely through phagocytic clearance, tubular regeneration and angiogenesis.

*Conclusions: Deficiency of AIF-1 enriches the ischemic kidney for reparative macrophages and thereby reducing fibrosis and preserving function. This offers a unique opportunity to modulate the phenotype of kidney macrophages in ischemia and skew them towards a reparative phenotype that can ameliorate the damage caused by ischemia. In the case of kidney transplantation, this provides an avenue to mitigate delayed graft function and increase the utility of organs with greater ischemic insults.

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Husain I, Dangi A, Luo X. Deletion of AIF-1 Promotes Kidney Reparative Macrophages and Prevents Fibrosis [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2022; 22 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/deletion-of-aif-1-promotes-kidney-reparative-macrophages-and-prevents-fibrosis/. Accessed May 28, 2025.

« Back to 2022 American Transplant Congress

Visit Our Partner Sites

American Transplant Congress (ATC)

Visit the official site for the American Transplant Congress »

American Journal of Transplantation

The official publication for the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) »

American Society of Transplantation (AST)

An organization of more than 3000 professionals dedicated to advancing the field of transplantation. »

American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)

The society represents approximately 1,800 professionals dedicated to excellence in transplantation surgery. »

Copyright © 2013-2025 by American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Cookie Preferences