Prolongation of allograft survival by administration of anti-CD45RB monoclonal antibody is due to alteration of CD45RBhi: CD45RBlo T-cell proportions.

CD45RB monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy is capable of prolonging allograft survival. We have previously shown that CD45RB mAb enriches the CD45RBlo T-cell population in vitro and in vivo by preferentially depleting CD45RBhi T cells. The present study assessed the importance of CD45RBhi T-cell depletion in murine cardiac allograft survival by infusion of naive CD45RB T-cell subsets. Here we show that naturally occurring CD45RBloCD4+ T cells express regulatory transcription factor Foxp3 and have regulatory function, whereas CD45RBhiCD4+ T cells express low levels of Foxp3 and have effector function. Infusion of syngeneic CD45RBhi T cells significantly reduced graft survival after depletion of CD45RBhi T cells by CD45RB mAb. Reduction of graft survival also occurred when syngeneic CD45RBhi T cells were infused into rapamycin-treated mice, whereas survival was prolonged when CD45RBlo T cells were added. This indicates that an alteration in the balance between regulatory CD45RBlo and effector CD45RBhi T cells is critical to the immunologic function of CD45RB mAb. A strategy to eliminate effector T cells with consequent enrichment of the regulatory T-cell compartment may be an important new strategy in the prevention of rejection.