Mixed hematopoietic chimerism and transplantation tolerance

Durable transplantation tolerance can be reliably achieved by inducing engraftment of hematopoietic cells in recipients initially depleted of T-lymphocytes. Engraftment of donor pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells (PPHSC) produces mixed hematopoietic chimeras in which both host and donor cells coexist and are tolerant of each other. The major mechanism of tolerance in these chimeras is central, intrathymic clonal deletion, which is induced and maintained by immigration of both host and donor marrow-derived cells to the host thymus, ensuring the ongoing central deletion of donor- and host-reactive cells. In this article, approaches developed in our laboratory to induce stable mixed hematopoietic chimerism and specific central deletional allogeneic and xenogeneic tolerance without toxic or myeloablative host conditioning are reviewed.