The role of cell-mediated cytotoxicity in acute GVHD after MHC-matched allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in mice.

TLDR

The role of cell‑mediated cytotoxicity in graft‑versus‑host disease has remained poorly defined for decades. The study aimed to determine how Fas‑ligand and perforin deficiencies in donor T cells affect GVHD development. Researchers transplanted Fas‑ligand‑defective and perforin‑deficient donor T cells into lethally irradiated, MHC‑matched allogeneic recipients. Fas‑mediated cytotoxicity is essential for hepatic and cutaneous GVHD but not for cachexia, whereas perforin‑mediated cytotoxicity delays GVHD onset yet is not required for tissue damage.

Abstract

The role of cell-mediated cytotoxicity in the complex pathophysiology of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) has remained poorly defined for several decades. We transplanted T cells from Fas-ligand (FasL)-defective and perforin-deficient mutant donor mice into lethally irradiated MHC-matched allogeneic recipient mice to characterize the role of cell-mediated cytotoxicity in GVHD. Although recipients of allogeneic FasL-defective donor T cells underwent severe GVHD-associated cachexia, they exhibited only minimal signs of hepatic and cutaneous GVHD pathology. Recipients of perforin-deficient allogeneic donor T cells developed signs of acute GVHD, but the time of onset was significantly delayed. These findings demonstrate that Fas-mediated anti-recipient cytotoxicity may be critical for the development of hepatic and cutaneous GVHD, but is not required for GVHD-associated cachexia. In addition, perforin-mediated anti-recipient cytotoxicity appears to play an important role in the kinetics of GVHD pathophysiology, but is not required for GVHD-associated tissue damage.