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Histocompatibility and Donor Selection

A novel approach for quantification of KIR expression in healthy donors and pediatric recipients of hematopoietic SCTs

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 43, pages 525–532 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The killer cell Ig-like receptor (KIR) expression repertoire may offer valuable information for hematopoietic SCT (HSCT). We designed a quantitative KIR RNAtype assay and used it to determine KIR gene expression in healthy donors and patients before HSCT. The specificity of the assay was ensured by specific primers and by electrophoretic distinction of PCR products of unique length. In 87 healthy donors, the KIR repertoire was broadly distributed (32 categories of profiles). There was an overall trend toward inverse correlation of KIR expression level and donor age. Age affected mainly the activating KIR families. Leukemia patients showed lower KIR expression before transplantation than healthy donors. Stem cell mobilization caused a transient increase of KIR expression. We conclude that KIR expression differs quantitatively with age and primary disease and is transiently altered by stem cell recruitment and selection.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all scientists, physicians and nurses in the Division of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy for their contribution to this study. We thank Dr T Leimig, Dr R Iyengar, and A Kennedy for help in collecting samples, Martha S Holladay and Barbara Rooney, for help with the Flow Cytometry assay, J Okuma in the Department of Biostatistics for statistical analysis, Dr V Turner for her kindly writing up suggestions, and Dr P Rodrigues in the Hartwell Center for making the primers. We thank S Naron for editorial assistance.

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Author notes

  1. X Chen & E M Horwitz

    Present address: 3Current address: Department of Pediatrics/Oncology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA, USA.,

  2. R Handgretinger

    Present address: 4Current address: Department of Hematology/Oncology, Children's University Hospital, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.,

  3. X Chen, J Knowles and R Handgretinger: These authors contributed equally to this study.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA

    X Chen, J Knowles, R C Barfield, K A Kasow, R Madden, P Woodard, E M Horwitz, R Handgretinger & G A Hale

  2. Department of Biostatistics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA

    D K Srivastava

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  1. X Chen
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  8. E M Horwitz
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  10. G A Hale
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Correspondence to G A Hale.

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Chen, X., Knowles, J., Barfield, R. et al. A novel approach for quantification of KIR expression in healthy donors and pediatric recipients of hematopoietic SCTs. Bone Marrow Transplant 43, 525–532 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2008.352

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2008.352

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