Evidence for Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells as Another Source of IL-17 Producing Cells
Urologic Diseases Center, The First Bethune Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
Urologic Surgery Department, Laigang Hospital,Taishan Medical University, Taishan, Shandong, China
Meeting: 2013 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: D1598
Interleukin-17(IL-17) is mainly produced by a subset of CD4+T cells (TH17) .The exact source of IL-17 expression in renal graft during rejection remians unclear. A.Loverre (2011) had findings that IL-17 was expressed by tubular epithelial cells in renal transplant recipients with acute antibody-mediated rejection(AABMR). In our study,we also had found that IL-17 graft expression was predominantly in tubular epithelial cells.
Objective: To confirm tubular epithelial cells as a new source of IL-17 producing cells and to explore the pathologic features of IL-17 expression. Methods: 72 cases of renal transplant recipients with clinically suspicious acute graft rejection had been gone fine needle aspiration biopsies. By Banff07 criteria, there were four groups:acute T cell-mediated rejection (ATCMR, n=32), AABMR(n=9), borderline rejection (n=18) and no-abnormality (n=13). IL-17 expression were determined by immuno-histochemical stain.Results: IL-17 expression was present in all four groups.It was mainly in tubular epithelial cells and partly in inflammatory cells infiltrating in tubulointerstitial tissue and glomeruli. In ATCMR group, IL-17 expression in tubular epithelial cells was 84.4% (27/32), much higher than that of in AABMR(55.6%,5/9) and borderline rejection(61.6%,11/18) and no-abnormality group (46.2%, 6/13) (p<0.05).It was highly related to Grade I in comparison with Grade II(p<0.05). IL-17 expression was correlated with severity of tubulitis (r=0.455, p=0.034) and the level of serum creatinine (r=0.37, p=0.038) in ATCMR, and also with peritubular capillaries C4d deposition in AABMR (r=0.45,p=0.001). Not all tubular epithelial cells expressed IL-17. it was scartered and/or cluster in tubulointerstitial tissue, and in some cases positive and negative IL-17 expression was existed in one tubular section. Conclusion: Our data confirmed that tubular epithelial cells expressed IL-17 and might serve as new type of IL-17 producing cells. IL-17 expression was correlated with severity of tubulitis and pathologic Grade in ATCMR and C4d deposition in AABMR.More studies would be needed to elucidate the cause and the mechanism of featured IL-17 expression pattern in tubular epithelial cells and its clinical significance.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Zhou H, Xue L, Wang Y, Liu J, Zhang L, Yu J. Evidence for Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells as Another Source of IL-17 Producing Cells [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2013; 13 (suppl 5). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/evidence-for-renal-tubular-epithelial-cells-as-another-source-of-il-17-producing-cells/. Accessed May 14, 2025.« Back to 2013 American Transplant Congress