Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026
10:10
Retroviral Scanning: Mapping MLV Integration Sites to Define Cell-specific Regulatory Regions
Published on: May 28, 2017
c-Rel in GVHD biology: a missing link.
1Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
European Journal of Immunology
|September 17, 2013
Summary
Targeting c-Rel in T cells prevents graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) while preserving graft-versus-leukemic (GVL) effects. This approach offers a promising strategy for improving BMT outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Transplantation Biology
- Molecular Medicine
Background:
- Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a significant complication following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT).
- Maintaining graft-versus-leukemic (GVL) effects is crucial for treating lymphoid malignancies post-BMT.
- Identifying strategies to separate GVHD from GVL is a key research area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the transcription factor c-Rel in T cells regarding GVHD and GVL.
- To determine if abrogating c-Rel can inhibit GVHD while preserving GVL responses.
- To explore the impact of c-Rel deficiency on T-cell subsets and chemokine receptor expression.
Main Methods:
- Utilized murine models of major and minor histocompatibility mismatched BMT.
- Assessed GVHD and GVL outcomes in mice with intrinsic c-Rel deficiency in T cells.
- Analyzed T-cell populations (Th1, Th17, Treg) and CXCR3 expression.
Main Results:
- Intrinsic c-Rel deficiency in T cells completely protected against GVHD in both mismatched BMT models.
- GVHD protection was linked to reduced Th1/Th17 cells and increased Treg cells.
- Absence of c-Rel maintained GVL effects, leading to significant tumor clearance in recipients.
- c-Rel deficiency decreased expression of the Th1-associated chemokine receptor CXCR3.
Conclusions:
- Specific targeting of the T-cell transcription factor c-Rel effectively separates GVHD from GVL.
- Abrogating c-Rel in T cells presents a potential therapeutic strategy to improve BMT efficacy.
- This approach may enhance treatment outcomes for lymphoid malignancies by mitigating GVHD complications.
More Related Videos
10:29Induction of Graft-versus-host Disease and In Vivo T Cell Monitoring Using an MHC-matched Murine Model
Published on: August 29, 2012
15:07VDJ-Seq: Deep Sequencing Analysis of Rearranged Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Gene to Reveal Clonal Evolution Patterns of B Cell Lymphoma
Published on: December 28, 2015
Related Concept Videos
01:27Cytomegalovirus Disease
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is caused by human cytomegalovirus, a double-stranded DNA virus of the Herpesviridae family. While primary CMV infection is often asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, the virus can cause severe disease in neonates and immunocompromised patients. CMV is the most common cause of congenital viral infection in the United States, and a major pathogen in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.CMV is transmitted via bodily fluids, sexual...
01:03Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
01:03Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
01:51Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
Retroviruses are RNA viruses that have been shown to cause cancers in diverse species, including chickens, mice, cats, and monkeys. The RNA genomes of these viruses are first reverse-transcribed into single and then double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) copies. This dsDNA called proviral DNA then integrates into the host genome. Subsequently, the host cell transcribes the proviral DNA in concert with the chromosomal DNA. This leads to the production of viral RNA and proteins that assemble at the host...
01:51Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
Retroviruses are RNA viruses that have been shown to cause cancers in diverse species, including chickens, mice, cats, and monkeys. The RNA genomes of these viruses are first reverse-transcribed into single and then double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) copies. This dsDNA called proviral DNA then integrates into the host genome. Subsequently, the host cell transcribes the proviral DNA in concert with the chromosomal DNA. This leads to the production of viral RNA and proteins that assemble at the host...
01:27Horizontal Gene Transfer
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a process where genetic material moves between organisms within the same generation, unlike vertical gene transfer, which occurs from parent to offspring. HGT plays a crucial role in microbial evolution, adaptation, and survival, particularly in shared environments like the human gut.Mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, prophages, integrons, insertion sequences, and transposons facilitate this process. HGT occurs through three primary mechanisms:...