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Updated: Aug 30, 2026
In Vitro and In Vivo Assessment of T, B and Myeloid Cells Suppressive Activity and Humoral Responses from Transplant Recipients
Published on: August 12, 2017
Expression of 4-1BB molecule on peripheral blood T cells in liver transplanted patients and its clinical implication
Yun-Le Wan1, Shu-Sen Zheng, Chang-Ku Jia
1Department of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China. wanyl036@hotmail.com
Objective:
To investigate the gene expression of 4-1BB in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and its possible significance in clinical liver transplantation.
Methods:
Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to determine the gene expression of 4-1BB in PBMCs from 22 patients receiving liver transplantation, 13 patients with primary liver carcinoma (PLC), and 12 healthy controls. To determine whether 4-1BB molecule is also expressed on the surface of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell, flow cytometry was used to analyse the phenotype of T cell subsets from the blood of liver transplantation patients.
Results:
4-1BB mRNA was detected in PBMCs from stable survivors after liver transplantation, but almost not detected in PBMCs from PLC patients and healthy controls. Meanwhile, 4-1BB was almost not expressed on the surface of CD4+ and CD8+T cells in healthy controls and PLC patients. A low level of 4-1BB expression, however, was found on the surface of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from the stable survivors after liver transplantation.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates that although patients are stable after liver transplantation, effector T-cells can also be activated through the signal of 4-1BB molecule and persistent immune response to grafts. Blockage of 4-1BB/4-1BBL pathway may benefitially reduce the clinical dosage of immunosuppressive agents and prolong the survival of grafts.
