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The presence and longevity of peripherally expanded donor-derived TCRαβ+ mature T lymphocyte clones after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for adult myeloid leukemias

Leukemia volume 17, pages 1626–1635 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

There are two major pathways for T-cell regeneration after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation; thymus-dependent T-cell differentiation of T-cell progenitors, and peripheral expansion of mature T cells in the graft. In order to learn to what extent the peripheral expansion of donor-derived mature T lymphocytes contributes to reconstitution of the TCRαβ+ T-cell repertoire after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for adult myeloid leukemias, we pursued the fate of donor-derived T-cell clones using the amino-acid sequences of the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) of the TCR-β chain as a clonal marker. Clonal expansion of TCRαβ+ T lymphocytes with specific TCRBV subfamilies was identified in donor blood. Identical T-cell clones were not found in blood from recipients before transplantation. The donor-derived T-cell clones were identified in the circulating blood from recipients a few months after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, and they remained in the blood for 18 months after transplant in two recipients, and for 56 months in one. These results suggest that the peripheral expansion of mature T lymphocytes in the graft makes a significant contribution to post-transplant T-cell regeneration during the early period of transplantation in humans, and that mature T cells can survive in recipients for several years. Further investigation will be required to explore which antigens drive the expansion of T-cell clones in donors and recipients, and the mechanisms of maintaining homeostatic balance between the thymus-dependent pathway and the peripheral expansion of mature T cells in post-transplant T-cell regeneration.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan (08670508, 10670932, and 14570960); Yamashita Taro-Kensho Memorial Foundation; Uehara Memorial Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine III, Akita University School of Medicine, Akita, Japan

    H Saitoh, M Hirokawa, N Fujishima, Y Ichikawa, Y Kawabata, I Miura, A B Miura & K Sawada

  2. Department of Immunology, Shionogi Institute for Medical Science, Osaka, Japan

    T Matsutani & R Suzuki

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Saitoh, H., Hirokawa, M., Fujishima, N. et al. The presence and longevity of peripherally expanded donor-derived TCRαβ+ mature T lymphocyte clones after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for adult myeloid leukemias. Leukemia 17, 1626–1635 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2402994

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