Transplant rejection and paradigms lost
Terry B. Strom
Terry B. Strom
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Commentary

Transplant rejection and paradigms lost

Abstract

During transplant rejection, migrating T cells infiltrate the grafted organ, but the signals that direct this migration are incompletely understood. In this issue of the JCI, Walch et al. debunk two classical paradigms concerning transplant rejection, with important consequences for the design of antirejection therapeutics.

Authors

Terry B. Strom

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Figure 1

Integrin avidity determines T cell infiltration of transplants.

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Integrin avidity determines T cell infiltration of transplants. (A) Low-...
(A) Low-affinity integrins in resting T cells are converted to a high-affinity state by exposure to chemokines, also a stimulus for migration of non–donor-reactive T cells to the transplant. (B) Integrin affinity may also be altered by antigen recognition, which initiates infiltration of the transplant by T cells bearing TCRs for transplant antigens. Figure adapted with permission from Cellular and Molecular Immunology (14).