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Liver chimerism after allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation
W R ten Hove1, H W Verspaget, R Barge
1Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, LUMC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Transplantation Proceedings
|February 6, 2007
Summary
Donor-derived cells were found in liver tissue after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Many of these cells were not white blood cells, suggesting blood stem cells may become liver cells.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Hepatology
- Immunology
Background:
- Blood stem cells differentiate into various cell types.
- Allogeneic stem cell transplantation involves donor cells replacing recipient's cells.
- Chimerism refers to the presence of donor-derived cells in the recipient.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and type of donor-derived cells in the liver post-allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
- To determine if blood stem cells can differentiate into liver cells.
Main Methods:
- Examined liver biopsy and autopsy specimens from nine female patients who received stem cell transplants from male donors.
- Used in-situ hybridization for Y-chromosomes and CD45 staining to identify donor cells and leukocytes.
Main Results:
- Confirmed hematopoietic stem cell engraftment in all recipients.
- Found significantly more Y-chromosome-positive cells than CD45-positive cells in liver tissue, indicating nonleukocytic chimerism.
- Observed higher levels of chimerism in patients with graft-versus-host disease.
Conclusions:
- Donor-derived cells are present in liver tissue after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
- A significant portion of these chimeric cells are non-lymphohematopoietic.
- This supports the hypothesis that blood stem cells can develop into liver cells of mesenchymal origin.
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