Donor CD31 genotype and its association with acute graft-versus-host disease in HLA identical sibling stem cell transplantation

CD31 gene polymorphisms are implicated in the pathogenesis of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) following haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HST). We investigated the influence of CD31 genotype on the incidence of GvHD following HST from an human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical sibling donor. Donor and recipient CD31 codons 125, 563 and 670 DNA polymorphisms were determined in 85 cases of HLA identical sibling HST from two transplant centres. A correlation between CD31 genotype and acute GvHD was considered significant if observed in patients from both transplant centres independently. A strong correlation was identified between donor CD31 codon 125 genotype and the incidence of acute GvHD. Acute GvHD grades II-IV occurred in 27 of 46 (59%) recipients with a CD31 codon 125 leucine / valine heterozygous donor compared to nine of 39 (23%) recipients with a CD31 codon 125 homozygous donor (P=0.0019, relative-risk 2.45, 95% confidence interval 1.3-4.5). This correlation was significant in patients from both transplant centres (P=0.015 and P=0.019). We suggest that CD31 genotype may influence the function of donor-derived leukocytes and may be informative when there is a choice of comparable donors.