Matching for supertypic DR epitopes does not reduce mixed lymphocyte culture reactivity

It was recently demonstrated that matching for the supertypic DR specificities DRw52 and DRw53 significantly improved graft survival in a group of retrospectively typed kidney transplant patients. We investigated whether this phenomenon was also reflected in vitro in the mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) test system. MLC matrices were set up, but no effect of the matching between responder and stimulator for DRw52 and DRw53 was observed, although matching for the DR 'private' specificities (DR1-DRw10) was significant. In responder-stimulator combinations, too, which were mismatched for 1 DR antigen only, it did not matter whether or not the mismatched antigen on the stimulator was DRw52 or DRw53 compatible to the responder. These findings imply that matching for supertypic DR epitopes does not necessarily lead to reduced MLC reactivity.