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Peripheral microchimerism in long-term cadaveric-kidney allograft recipients
C Suberbielle1, S Caillat-Zucman, C Legendre
1INSERM U25, Hôpital Necker, Paris, France.
Lancet (London, England)
|June 11, 1994
Summary
Microchimerism, the presence of donor cells, is rarely detected in long-term kidney transplant recipients. This finding suggests microchimerism may not be a major factor in achieving lasting donor-specific graft tolerance.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Transplantation Science
- Genetics
Background:
- Microchimerism is hypothesized to induce donor-specific graft acceptance after organ transplantation.
- The actual frequency and role of microchimerism in long-term transplant tolerance remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of microchimerism in long-term surviving kidney transplant recipients.
- To determine if microchimerism correlates with donor-specific tolerance.
Main Methods:
- Studied 15 kidney transplant recipients surviving over 20 years.
- Utilized allele-specific genomic amplification to detect donor alleles (DRB1 and H-Y loci) in recipient samples.
- Analyzed peripheral blood and skin tissues for the presence of microchimerism.
Main Results:
- Microchimerism was detected in only 1 recipient (peripheral blood) and 4 recipients (skin).
- No correlation was found between the presence of chimerism and the number of shared HLA alleles between donor and recipient.
- The overall low frequency of microchimerism was observed.
Conclusions:
- The low incidence of microchimerism in long-term kidney allograft recipients challenges its significant role in donor-specific tolerance.
- Further research may be needed to explore alternative mechanisms of transplant acceptance.