Absence of P-selectin in recipients of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation ameliorates experimental graft-versus-host disease

SX Lu, AM Holland, IK Na, TH Terwey… - The Journal of …, 2010 - journals.aai.org
SX Lu, AM Holland, IK Na, TH Terwey, O Alpdogan, JL Bautista, OM Smith, D Suh, C King…
The Journal of Immunology, 2010journals.aai.org
Alloreactive T cells are crucial for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) pathophysiology, and
modulating their trafficking patterns has been efficacious in ameliorating experimental
disease. We report in this paper that P-selectin, a glycoprotein found on resting and inflamed
endothelium, is important for donor alloreactive T cells trafficking into GVHD target organs,
such as the intestines and skin. Compared with wild-type (WT) recipients of allogeneic bone
marrow transplantation, P-selectin−/− recipients exhibit decreased GVHD mortality and …
Abstract
Alloreactive T cells are crucial for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) pathophysiology, and modulating their trafficking patterns has been efficacious in ameliorating experimental disease. We report in this paper that P-selectin, a glycoprotein found on resting and inflamed endothelium, is important for donor alloreactive T cells trafficking into GVHD target organs, such as the intestines and skin. Compared with wild-type (WT) recipients of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, P-selectin−/− recipients exhibit decreased GVHD mortality and decreased GVHD of the skin, liver, and small bowels. This was associated with diminished infiltration of alloactivated T cells into the Peyer’s patches and small bowels, coupled with increased numbers of donor T cells in the spleen and secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs). Surprisingly, however, donor T cells deficient for P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1, the most well described P-selectin ligand, mediated GVHD similar to WT T cells and accumulated in SLO and target organs in similar numbers as WT T cells. This suggests that P-selectin may be required for trafficking into inflamed tissues but not SLO and that donor T cells may use multiple P-selectin ligands apart from P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 to interact with P-selectin and traffic into inflamed tissues during GVHD. We conclude that targeting P-selectin may be a viable strategy for GVHD prophylaxis or treatment.
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