Abstract
The OX-40 molecule is expressed on the surface of recently activated T lymphocytes. The presence of OX-40 on CD4+ T cells was analyzed in a rat haplo-identical (parental → F1) bone marrow transplant model of acute graft- versus-host disease (aGVHD). Increased numbers of activated CD4+ T cells that expressed the OX-40 antigen were detected in peripheral blood soon after transplantation before the earliest sign of disease. The peak of OX-40 expression occurred 12 days posttransplantation with a range of 18% to 36% of circulating T cells and remained 10-fold above background, never returning to baseline. A slight increase in OX-40 expression (range, 1% to 6%) was also detected on peripheral blood lymphocytes from control syngeneic F1 → F1 recipients. OX-40+ T cells were isolated from spleen, skin, lymph node, and liver tissue of rats undergoing aGVHD, but not in syngeneic transplants. OX- 40+ T cells isolated from these tissues were of donor origin and were shown to be alloreactive. These data raise the possibility of using the OX-40 antibody to detect and deplete selectively the T cells that cause aGVHD.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 4652-4658 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Blood |
Volume | 89 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 15 1997 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Immunology
- Hematology
- Cell Biology