[Anti-pig xenogeneic response by human CD4+ T-lymphocytes]

When considering the hypothesis of xenotransplantation, and if it becomes possible to control hyperacute and delayed vascular rejection, the recognition of porcine graft by human T CD4+ lymphocytes could still constitute a very important barrier. The direct recognition of porcine MHC class II molecules (SLA-DR and SLA-DQ) by human TCR has been demonstrated in vitro. It is accompanied by a proliferative lymphocytic response, as co-stimulatory molecules are able to interact across the species barrier. In vivo, this type of recognition only applies to porcine cells with antigen-presenting functions, mainly the graft dendritic cells which emigrate into the recipient lymphoid organs. The other recognition pathway is indirect, whereby the recipient dendritic cells capture porcine xenoantigens in the graft, then process and present them to the lymphocytes in the lymphoid organs. This indirect pathway can be shown in vitro by utilizing porcine MHC class II-negative endothelial cells. In this model, human purified T CD4+ lymphocyte proliferation is tightly dependent on the presence of human antigen-presenting cells and their HLA class II molecules. As the xenogenic peptides all differ from self peptides, the indirect T-cell response will be very strong and probably difficult to control.