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Endothelial MHC expression is required to initiate T cell–mediated rejection of 3D-printed skin grafts
Zuzana Tobiasova, Esen Sefik, Lingfeng Qin, Jennifer M. McNiff, Gwendolyn Davis, Richard A. Flavell, W. Mark Saltzman, Jordan S. Pober
Zuzana Tobiasova, Esen Sefik, Lingfeng Qin, Jennifer M. McNiff, Gwendolyn Davis, Richard A. Flavell, W. Mark Saltzman, Jordan S. Pober
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Research Article Immunology Vascular biology

Endothelial MHC expression is required to initiate T cell–mediated rejection of 3D-printed skin grafts

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Abstract

Vascularized skins were 3D printed using single donor human fibroblasts, pericytes, keratinocytes, and endothelial cells (ECs), the latter either unmodified (WT-ECs) or deleted of MHC molecules (KO-ECs). Adult MISTRG6 immunodeficient mice neonatally inoculated with adult human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) received printed skin allogeneic to the HSCs and were boosted 3 weeks after grafting with human PBMCs autologous to the HSCs. HSC inoculation alone produced low levels of circulating human myeloid and lymphoid cells without affecting grafts; PBMC boosting dramatically increased circulating human CD4+ T cells and boosted CD8+ T cells only in mice with WT-EC grafts. These grafts became infiltrated by human macrophages, dendritic cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and showed evidence of rejection. Shared T cell clones were present in skin and spleen. KO-EC grafts had minimal infiltration of graft or spleen without rejection, despite MHC molecule expression on other graft cell types.

Authors

Zuzana Tobiasova, Esen Sefik, Lingfeng Qin, Jennifer M. McNiff, Gwendolyn Davis, Richard A. Flavell, W. Mark Saltzman, Jordan S. Pober

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Figure 5

Characterization of spleen-infiltrating human cells.

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Characterization of spleen-infiltrating human cells.
(A) Comparison of i...
(A) Comparison of infiltrating human cells by hCD45 and hCD4/CD8 staining. hCD45 staining shows minimal hCD45 cell infiltration of spleens of HSC+PBMC+KO-EC skin animals. Consistent with circulation and skin grafts, robust expansion of CD8 lymphocytes was seen in HSC+PBMC+WT-EC skin animals, whereas low infiltration was seen in HSC+PBMC+KO-EC skin mice. (B) Comparison of circulating human leukocytes shows statistical significant hCD45 leukocytes in the HSC+WT-EC skin+PBMC group as compared with the HSC+skin or HSC+KO-EC skin+ PBMC groups. (C and D) IHC staining reveals expansion of CD8 lymphocytes in HSC+PBMC+WT-EC skin mice (hCD45: HSC+skin, n = 6, 434 ± 489.2 cells/field vs. HSC+PBMC, n = 3, 10,456.6 ± 2,738.98 cells/field, P = 0.03; HSC+skin vs. HSC+PBMC+WT-EC skin, n = 5, 10,120.46 ± 4,456.34 cells/field, P = 0.02; HSC+PBMC+WT-EC skin vs. HSC+PBMC+KO-EC skin, n = 5, 1,242.4 ± 1,485.17 cells/field, P = 0.03; HSC+PBMC vs. HSC+PBMC+WT-EC skin, P = 0.03; CD8: HSC+skin, n = 5, 1 ± 0.71 cells/field vs. HSC+PBMC+WT-EC skin, n = 6, 547.67 ± 305.78 cells/field, P = 0.04; mean ± SD). Statistical analysis was performed using Welch’s unpaired t test and Benjamini-Hochberg correction for multiple comparisons. *P < 0.05. Means, SDs, and multiple comparison–corrected P values are described. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

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