Analysis of differential immune responses induced by innate and adaptive immunity following transplantation

The roles of innate and adaptive immunity in allograft rejection remain incompletely understood. Previous studies analysing lymphocyte deficient or syngeneic graft recipients have identified subsets of inflammatory chemokines and cytokines induced by antigen independent mechanisms. In the current study, we analysed a panel of 60 inflammatory parameters including serum cytokines, intragraft chemokines and cytokines, receptors, and cellular markers. Our results confirmed the up-regulation of a subset of markers by innate mechanisms and also identified a subset of parameters up-regulated only in the context of an adaptive response. Thus, we successfully differentiated markers of the innate and adaptive phases of rejection. Current paradigms emphasize that innate signals can promote a subsequent adaptive response. Interestingly, in our studies, expression of the markers induced by innate mechanisms was markedly amplified in the allogeneic, but not syngeneic or lymphocyte deficient, recipients. These results suggest that inflammatory mediators can have functional overlap between the innate and adaptive responses, and that the adaptive component of the rejection process amplifies the innate response by positive feedback regulation.