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Updated: Jul 26, 2026
Heterotopic Renal Autotransplantation in a Porcine Model: A Step-by-Step Protocol
Published on: February 21, 2016
Cellular dynamics in pig-to-human kidney xenotransplantation
Wanqing Pan1, Weimin Zhang2, Binghan Zheng3
1Gene Regulation Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
Background:
Xenotransplantation of genetically engineered porcine organs has the potential to address the challenge of organ donor shortage. Two cases of porcine-to-human kidney xenotransplantation were performed, yet the physiological effects on the xenografts and the recipients' immune responses remain largely uncharacterized.
Methods:
We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and longitudinal RNA-seq analyses of the porcine kidneys to dissect xenotransplantation-associated cellular dynamics and xenograft-recipient interactions. We additionally performed longitudinal scRNA-seq of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to detect recipient immune responses across time.
Findings:
Although no hyperacute rejection signals were detected, scRNA-seq analyses of the xenografts found evidence of endothelial cell and immune response activation, indicating early signs of antibody-mediated rejection. Tracing the cells' species origin, we found human immune cell infiltration in both xenografts. Human transcripts in the longitudinal bulk RNA-seq revealed that human immune cell infiltration and the activation of interferon-gamma-induced chemokine expression occurred by 12 and 48 h post-xenotransplantation, respectively. Concordantly, longitudinal scRNA-seq of PBMCs also revealed two phases of the recipients' immune responses at 12 and 48-53 h. Lastly, we observed global expression signatures of xenotransplantation-associated kidney tissue damage in the xenografts. Surprisingly, we detected a rapid increase of proliferative cells in both xenografts, indicating the activation of the porcine tissue repair program.
Conclusions:
Longitudinal and single-cell transcriptomic analyses of porcine kidneys and the recipient's PBMCs revealed time-resolved cellular dynamics of xenograft-recipient interactions during xenotransplantation. These cues can be leveraged for designing gene edits and immunosuppression regimens to optimize xenotransplantation outcomes.
Funding:
This work was supported by NIH RM1HG009491 and DP5OD033430.
