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Induction of Tolerance After Intestinal Transplantation in a Porcine Model

S. Merl, R. Jones, B. Chen, M. Sykes, K. Yamada, J. Weiner

Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Columbia University, New York, NY

Meeting: 2022 American Transplant Congress

Abstract number: 1288

Keywords: Immunogenicity, Intestinal transplantation, Miniature pigs, Tolerance

Topic: Basic Science » Basic Science » 12 - Immunosuppression & Tolerance: Preclinical & Translational Studies

Session Information

Session Name: Immunosuppression & Tolerance: Preclinical & Translational Studies

Session Type: Poster Abstract

Date: Monday, June 6, 2022

Session Time: 7:00pm-8:00pm

 Presentation Time: 7:00pm-8:00pm

Location: Hynes Halls C & D

*Purpose: We describe a case of tolerance from our study investigating multilineage chimerism under immunological conditions after intestinal transplantation using a porcine model with defined class I and II MHC loci.

*Methods: The MHC Class Idd/Class IIdd(dd) recipient underwent single-haplotype mismatched orthotopic intestinal transplantation from a Class Icd/Class IIcd(cd) donor. Induction immunosuppression consisted of CD3-immunotoxin and anti-CD8 antibody. Maintenance immunosuppression consisted of tacrolimus and steroids, which were weaned completely off between days 90-139 after transplant. Multilineage chimerism was assessed by flow cytometry. Stoma biopsies were evaluated for rejection. Cellular responses were evaluated by mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR).

*Results: The recipient has no clinical or histological signs of rejection 260 days after transplantation and >120 days without immunosuppression. Flow cytometry of peripheral blood and bone marrow demonstrates persistent chimerism, primarily in the T cell lineage (Fig. 1). Donor-specific hyporesponsiveness that was attenuated by CD25 depletion was consistently observed by MLR, even after immunosuppression was discontinued (Fig. 2). MLR also demonstrates increased anti-recipient (“self”) proliferative activity that was markedly diminished by CD25 depletion.

*Conclusions: In a model favoring rejection (the recipient’s MHC alleles are all shared by the donor, preventing anti-MHC graft-versus-host reactivity, while the donor expresses an entire haplotype not shared by the recipient), we achieved long-term survival off immunosuppression after intestinal transplantation with in vivo and in vitro evidence of tolerance. Attenuation of donor-specific hyporesponsiveness and anti-recipient responses with CD25 depletion suggests that the mechanism of tolerance involves regulatory T cells and that donor T cells recognizing recipient minor histocompatibility antigens may have been activated in vivo and thereby expressed CD25.

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To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Merl S, Jones R, Chen B, Sykes M, Yamada K, Weiner J. Induction of Tolerance After Intestinal Transplantation in a Porcine Model [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2022; 22 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/induction-of-tolerance-after-intestinal-transplantation-in-a-porcine-model/. Accessed May 30, 2025.

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