Detection of Donor-Specific Anti-HLA Antibodies Is Associated With Changes in the Peripheral Distribution of NK Cell Subsets in Kidney Allograft Recipients

M. Crespo,¹ D. Redondo,¹ J. Yelamos,² A. Muntasell,² M. Pérez-Sáez,¹ M. Lopez-Montañes,³ C. Garcia,⁴ A. Torío,⁵ J. Hernandez,⁴ M. Mir,¹ M. Lopez-Botet,³ J. Pascual.¹

¹Nephrology, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
²Servicio de Inmunología, Institut Mar d'Investigacions Mediques, Barcelona, Spain
³Grup de Investigacio en Immunologia, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
⁴Laboratori de Referencia de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
⁵Immunology Unit, Hospital de Alicante, Alicante, Spain.

Meeting: 2015 American Transplant Congress

Abstract number: C262

Keywords: Alloantibodies, Inflammation, Natural killer cells, Rejection

Session Information

Session Name: Poster Session C: Translational Biomarkers and Immune Monitoring

Session Type: Poster Session

Date: Monday, May 4, 2015

Session Time: 5:30pm-6:30pm

Presentation Time: 5:30pm-6:30pm

Location: Exhibit Hall E

Background: Microvascular damage has become the real protagonist involved in antibody-mediated rejection and NK-cell antibody-dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) has been proposed as a contributing factor. We have assessed the potential relationship between circulating HLA antibodies and different NK cellular subsets in kidney transplant (KT) recipients.

Methods: Observational exploratory study including 393 KT recipients: 38 with DSA, 55 with HLA non-DSA and 300 without HLA antibodies in a data base collecting demographics and clinical data. Contemporaneous analysis of HLA antibodies (Luminex® screening and single-antigen tests) and peripheral NK immunophenotype long-term after grafting.

Results: Multivariate analysis indicated that retransplantation (OR: 5.37 (2.18-13.25), p 0.000), pretransplant sensitization (OR:1.1 (1.01-1.05),p0.08) and the percentage of NKG2A cells (1.03 (1.01-1.05), p=0.002) were associated with detection of post-KT DSA compared with patients without antibodies. Recipient female gender (OR: 3.69 (1.19-11.36), p 0.02), DR mismatch (OR: 5.97 (2.14-16.6), p 0.001), acute rejection (OR: 16.51 (1.42-190.83), p 0.025), and the percentage of NKG2A cells (OR: 1.04 (1.007-1.076), p 0.018) were significantly associated with post-KT DSA compared to HLA non-DSA. In contrast with patients without detectable anti-HLA antibodies, DSA and HLA non-DSA patients displayed lower proportions of NK-cells, associated with increased CD56bright and NKG2A subsets, the latter being more marked in DSA cases.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that the assessment of the NK-cell immunophenotype may contribute to define signatures of alloreactive humoral responses in renal allograft recipients.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Crespo M, Redondo D, Yelamos J, Muntasell A, Pérez-Sáez M, Lopez-Montañes M, Garcia C, Torío A, Hernandez J, Mir M, Lopez-Botet M, Pascual J. Detection of Donor-Specific Anti-HLA Antibodies Is Associated With Changes in the Peripheral Distribution of NK Cell Subsets in Kidney Allograft Recipients [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2015; 15 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/detection-of-donor-specific-anti-hla-antibodies-is-associated-with-changes-in-the-peripheral-distribution-of-nk-cell-subsets-in-kidney-allograft-recipients/. Accessed May 16, 2025.

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