1. ¹Tissue Typing Laboratory, Addenbrooke's Cambridge University Teaching Hospital Trust, Cambridge, UK
2. ²Adult Leukaemia Unit, Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK
3. ³British Heart Foundation, Cardiovascular Medicine, Imperial College Hammersmith Campus, London, UK
4. ⁴Haematology Department Addenbrooke's Cambridge University Teaching Hospital Trust, Cambridge, UK
5. ⁵Transplantation Laboratory, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK

Correspondence: RS Goodman, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Box 209, Addenbrooke's Cambridge University Teaching Hospital Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge. CB2 2QQ, UK. E-mail: reyna.goodman@addenbrookes.nhs.uk

⁶PCE is a senior fellow of the National Kidney Research Foundation.

Received 26 November 2004; Accepted 31 March 2005; Published online 23 May 2005.

Abstract

CD31 gene polymorphisms are implicated in the pathogenesis of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) following haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HST). We investigated the influence of CD31 genotype on the incidence of GvHD following HST from an human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical sibling donor. Donor and recipient CD31 codons 125, 563 and 670 DNA polymorphisms were determined in 85 cases of HLA identical sibling HST from two transplant centres. A correlation between CD31 genotype and acute GvHD was considered significant if observed in patients from both transplant centres independently. A strong correlation was identified between donor CD31 codon 125 genotype and the incidence of acute GvHD. Acute GvHD grades II–IV occurred in 27 of 46 (59%) recipients with a CD31 codon 125 leucine / valine heterozygous donor compared to nine of 39 (23%) recipients with a CD31 codon 125 homozygous donor (P=0.0019, relative-risk 2.45, 95% confidence interval 1.3–4.5). This correlation was significant in patients from both transplant centres (P=0.015 and P=0.019). We suggest that CD31 genotype may influence the function of donor-derived leukocytes and may be informative when there is a choice of comparable donors.