Prediction of graft-versus-host disease by gene-expression profiling of donors and more

Graft-versus-host disease is a complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, which results from recognition of recipient antigens by immune T cells from the donor. Two papers published this week investigate how graft versus host disease might be predicted after hematopoietic cell transplantation. In the first paper “Prediction of Graft-Versus-Host Disease by Gene-Expression Profiling of Donors” Claude Perreault and colleagues from the University of Montreal tested whether some donors may react more strongly against recipient cells than others. Using microarrays, they measured the gene-expression profiles of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from 50 donors and were able to show that donor gene-expression profile in these cells had a strong influence on the occurrence of graft-versus-host disease in the recipient.

Citation: Baron C, Somogyi R, Greller LD, Rineau V, Wilkinson P, et al. (2006) Prediction of graft-versus-host disease in humans by donor gene-expression profiling. PLoS Med 4(1): e23.

PLEASE ADD THE LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT: http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040023

PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-04-01-perreault.pdf

CONTACT:

Claude Perreault
University of Montreal
IRIC
P.O. Box 6128, Station Centre-Ville
Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7 Canada
+1 514-343-6126
+1 514-343-5839 (fax)
c.perreault@videotron.ca

In the second paper, “MHC Haplotype Matching for Unrelated Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation” Effie Petersdorf and colleagues from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle tested whether a novel method of matching unrelated donors and recipients might decrease graft-versus-host disease-related morbidity after transplantation. The human genome is organized into segments or blocks of closely linked genetic variants that known as “haplotypes”. Current criteria for the selection of unrelated donors include matching for the important gene variants in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC); however it has previously not been possible to match for the more than 400 minor variants that exist. Using a new technique scanning across 2 million base pairs of the MHC haplotype region, the researchers studied 246 recipients of hematopoietic cell transplantation and their donors. They showed the value of more accurate matching that could be achieved by this technique, in that mismatching was associated with a significantly increased risk of severe acute graft-versus-host disease.

Citation: Petersdorf EW, Malkki M, Gooley TA, Martin PJ, Guo Z (2007) MHC haplotype matching for unrelated hematopoietic cell transplantation. PLoS Med 4(1): e8.

PLEASE ADD THE LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT: http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040008

PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-04-01-petersdorf.pdf

CONTACTS:

Effie Petersdorf
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Division of Clinical Research
1100 Fairview Avenue N
P.O.Box 19024
Seattle, WA 98109 United States of America
+1 206-667-5244
+1 206-667-5255 (fax)
epetersd@fhcrc.org

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