JCI - Regression of human kidney cancer following allogeneic stem cell transplantation is associated with recognition of an HERV-E antigen by T cells

Regression of human kidney cancer following allogeneic stem cell transplantation is associated with recognition of an HERV-E antigen by T cells

Yoshiyuki Takahashi, Nanae Harashima, Sachiko Kajigaya, Hisayuki Yokoyama, Elena Cherkasova, J. Philip McCoy, Ken-ichi Hanada, Othon Mena, Roger Kurlander, Tawab Abdul, Ramaprasad Srinivasan, Andreas Lundqvist, Elizabeth Malinzak, Nancy Geller, Michael I. Lerman, Richard W. Childs

Published in Volume 118, Issue 3

J Clin Invest. 2008; 118(3):1099–1109 doi:10.1172/JCI34409

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Figure 2

Detection of RCC-reactive CD8⁺ T cells in PBMCs after transplantation.

The frequency of CD8⁺ T cells in PBMCs before and at multiple time points after HSCT that recognized patient B cells or patient RCC cells was measured by an IFN-γ ELISPOT analysis; SAUJ (filled squares), LYO (filled circles), JOH (open squares), and POR (open circles). Alloreactive CD8⁺ T cells that recognized patient B cells were absent at baseline, then became detectable in all 4 patients after HSCT, with the highest precursor frequency measured in the first few months after transplantation. RCC-reactive T cells were absent before HSCT in patients but became detectable after HSCT in 3 of 4 RCC patients. In patient JOH, who did not have a disease response, these populations were detected only transiently. In contrast, patients LYO and SAUJ, who had evidence for a GVT effect, had RCC-reactive T cells detected for more than 1.5 and 4 years, respectively, after HSCT.