Donor-specific reactivity and Th1 cytokines--implications for immunologic monitoring.

摘要

In their fascinating brief report, van Besouw et al. (1), from Erasmus MC University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, presented interesting data in renal transplant patients with and without donor-specific hyporeactivity. The Thl cyto-kines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a and interferon (IFN)-y, were positively correlated with the presence of detectable donor-specific cytotoxicity, defined as the presence (>10/106 peripheral blood monocyte cells) of donor-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte precursors (CTLpf). Lack of detectable CTLpf was associated with low levels of TNF-a and IFN-y. The Th2 cytokines, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, and IL-10, were not correlated with CTLpf. The authors concluded that donor-specific hyporeactivity was a function of the absence of Thl cytokines and was not related to Th2 cytokines.