T lymphocytes of recipient origin may contribute to the recovery of specific immune response toward viruses and fungi in children undergoing cord blood transplantation

• Published in: Blood 2004-06, Vol.103 (11), p.4322-4329
• Main Authors: Montagna, Daniela, Locatelli, Franco, Moretta, Antonia, Lisini, Daniela, Previderè, Carlo, Grignani, Pierangela, DeStefano, Piero, Giorgiani, Giovanna, Montini, Enrica, Pagani, Sara, Comoli, Patrizia, Maccario, Rita
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Bone marrow, stem cells transplantation. Graft versus host reaction; Candidiasis - immunology; Cell Division - immunology; Child; Child, Preschool; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; Cytokines - metabolism; Cytomegalovirus Infections - immunology; Epitopes; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Medical sciences; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - metabolism; Transfusions. Complications. Transfusion reactions. Cell and gene therapy; Transplantation Chimera - immunology
• ISSN: 0006-4971; 1528-0020
• DOI: 10.1182/blood-2003-11-4041

Patients undergoing allogeneic cord blood transplantation (CBT) benefit from a low risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), but there are still concerns that they be able to recover an effective immune capacity early after transplantation. We investigated the ability to develop in vitro T-lymphocyte-mediated immune response toward human cytomegalovirus and Candida albicans antigens, early and late after transplantation, in children given cord blood transplants from either an HLA-identical sibling or an unrelated donor. Proliferative capacity and frequency of antigen-specific T cells were evaluated; antigen-specific CD4+ T-cell clones were also generated and characterized for T-cell receptor repertoire diversity, cytokine phenotype, and their origin (either from donor or patient). We found that the majority of recipients can develop a specific response to viral or fungal antigens already early after transplantation. Antigen-specific T-cell clones of both donor and recipient origin contributed to the reconstitution of immune response. Antigen-specific T lymphocytes of recipient origin were detected in patients receiving a transplant from a relative, after a chemotherapy-based conditioning regimen, and who did not have GVHD. Our results document, at a clonal level, that after CBT recovery of either polyclonal or pauciclonal T-cell response toward widespread pathogens is prompt, with some patients benefiting from a contribution of recipient-derived cells. (Blood. 2004;103:4322-4329)