William Bracamonte-Baran1,2, Nisha A Gilotra3, Taejoon Won1, Katrina M Rodriguez4, Monica V Talor1, Byoung C Oh5, Jan Griffin3,6, Ilan Wittstein3, Kavita Sharma3, John Skinner7, Roger A Johns1,7, Stuart D Russell3,8, Robert A Anders1, Qingfeng Zhu1, Marc K Halushka1, Gerald Brandacher5, Daniela Čiháková1,9. 1. Department of Pathology, School of Medicine (W.B.-B., T.W., M.V.T., R.A.A., Q.Z., M.K.H., D.Č.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. 2. Department of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center-Permian Basin, Odessa (W.B.-B.). 3. Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine (N.A.G., J.G., I.W., K.S., S.D.R.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. 4. Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health (K.M.R.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. 5. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation Laboratory, School of Medicine (B.C.O., G.B.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. 6. Now with Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY (J.G.). 7. Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Division of Adult Anesthesia, School of Medicine (J.S., R.A.J.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. 8. Now with Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC (S.D.R.). 9. W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health (D.Č.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The role of checkpoint axes in transplantation has been partially addressed in animal models but not in humans. Occurrence of fulminant myocarditis with allorejection-like immunologic features in patients under anti-PD1 (programmed death cell protein 1) treatment suggests a key role of the PD1/PD-L1 (programmed death ligand 1) axis in cardiac immune homeostasis. METHODS: We cross-sectionally studied 23 heart transplant patients undergoing surveillance endomyocardial biopsy. Endomyocardial tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Multivariate logistic regression analyses including demographic, clinical, and hemodynamic parameters were performed. Murine models were used to evaluate the impact of PD-L1 endothelial graft expression in allorejection. RESULTS: We found that myeloid cells dominate the composition of the graft leukocyte compartment in most patients, with variable T-cell frequencies. The CD (cluster of differentiation) 4:CD8 T-cell ratios were between 0 and 1.5. The proportion of PD-L1 expressing cells in graft endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and myeloid leukocytes ranged from negligible up to 60%. We found a significant inverse logarithmic correlation between the proportion of PD-L1+HLA (human leukocyte antigen)-DR+ endothelial cells and CD8+ T cells (slope, -18.3 [95% CI, -35.3 to -1.3]; P=0.030). PD-L1 expression and leukocyte patterns were independent of demographic, clinical, and hemodynamic parameters. We confirmed the importance of endothelial PD-L1 expression in a murine allogeneic heart transplantation model, in which Tie2Crepdl1fl/fl grafts lacking PD-L1 in endothelial cells were rejected significantly faster than controls. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of graft endothelial PD-L1 expression may play a role in regulating CD8+ T-cell infiltration in human heart transplantation. Murine model results suggest that loss of graft endothelial PD-L1 may facilitate alloresponses and rejection.
BACKGROUND: The role of checkpoint axes in transplantation has been partially addressed in animal models but not in humans. Occurrence of fulminant myocarditis with allorejection-like immunologic features in patients under anti-PD1 (programmed death cell protein 1) treatment suggests a key role of the PD1/PD-L1 (programmed death ligand 1) axis in cardiac immune homeostasis. METHODS: We cross-sectionally studied 23 heart transplant patients undergoing surveillance endomyocardial biopsy. Endomyocardial tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Multivariate logistic regression analyses including demographic, clinical, and hemodynamic parameters were performed. Murine models were used to evaluate the impact of PD-L1 endothelial graft expression in allorejection. RESULTS: We found that myeloid cells dominate the composition of the graft leukocyte compartment in most patients, with variable T-cell frequencies. The CD (cluster of differentiation) 4:CD8 T-cell ratios were between 0 and 1.5. The proportion of PD-L1 expressing cells in graft endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and myeloid leukocytes ranged from negligible up to 60%. We found a significant inverse logarithmic correlation between the proportion of PD-L1+HLA (human leukocyte antigen)-DR+ endothelial cells and CD8+ T cells (slope, -18.3 [95% CI, -35.3 to -1.3]; P=0.030). PD-L1 expression and leukocyte patterns were independent of demographic, clinical, and hemodynamic parameters. We confirmed the importance of endothelial PD-L1 expression in a murine allogeneic heart transplantation model, in which Tie2Crepdl1fl/fl grafts lacking PD-L1 in endothelial cells were rejected significantly faster than controls. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of graft endothelial PD-L1 expression may play a role in regulating CD8+ T-cell infiltration in human heart transplantation. Murine model results suggest that loss of graft endothelial PD-L1 may facilitate alloresponses and rejection.
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