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Effect of donor Langerhans cells on corneal graft rejection
J Y Niederkorn1, J R Ross, Y He
1Department of Ophthalmology, U.T. Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235.
Insights
The central cornea lacks Langerhans cells, contributing to immune privilege in corneal transplants. Donor Langerhans cells can overcome this, influencing graft rejection outcomes in rodents.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Ophthalmology
- Transplantation
Background:
- The central corneal epithelium normally lacks Langerhans cells, which express Ia.
- This absence is linked to the immune privilege observed in corneal allografts.
- Corneal allografts are typically poorly immunogenic despite expressing alloantigens.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review studies on the role of corneal Langerhans cells in alloimmune responses.
- To investigate the impact of Langerhans cells on corneal graft rejection in rodents.
Main Methods:
- Review of previous studies on rodent corneal allografts.
- Examination of the immunogenicity of corneal grafts with and without donor Langerhans cells.
Main Results:
- Donor-derived Langerhans cells act as potent immunogens for most corneal allografts.
- Langerhans cells can circumvent the afferent immune blockade in corneal transplantation.
- Grafts with allodisparity solely at MHC class I loci are an exception.
Conclusions:
- Donor Langerhans cells significantly impact the success of corneal allografts.
- The presence or absence of these cells is critical for graft fate.
- Understanding this mechanism is key for improving corneal transplantation outcomes.
Abstract:
Unlike other cutaneous surfaces, the central portion of the corneal epithelium is typically devoid of Langerhans cells. The absence of Ia+ Langerhans cells in the central cornea is of more than casual interest and may explain the immunologic privilege that is characteristic of corneal allografts. The present communication summarizes previous studies that examined the role of corneal Langerhans cells in eliciting alloimmune responses and corneal graft rejection in rodents. Under normal circumstances, corneal allografts are poorly immunogenic when residing in the avascular ocular graft bed even though the graft displays large quantities of alloantigens. The afferent blockade of the immune response can be circumvented by donor-derived Langerhans cells that serve as potent immunogens for all categories of corneal allografts except grafts involving allodisparity only at class I major histocompatibility complex loci. Thus, the presence of donor-derived Langerhans cells exerts profound effects on the fate of corneal allografts.