Combined coinhibitory and costimulatory modulation with anti-BTLA and CTLA4Ig facilitates tolerance in murine islet allografts

Am J Transplant. 2007 Dec;7(12):2663-74. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2007.01996.x.

Abstract

Complex interactions between positive and negative cosignaling receptors ultimately determine the fate of the immune response. The recently identified coinhibitory receptor, B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA), contributes to regulation of autoimmune and potentially alloimmune responses. We investigated the role of BTLA in a fully major histocompatibility complex-mismatched mouse islet transplant model. We report that anti-BTLA mAb (6F7) alone does not accelerate graft rejection. Rather, while CTLA4Ig alone improved allograft survival, the addition of anti-BTLA mAb to CTLA4Ig led to indefinite (>100 days) allograft survival. Immediately after treatment with anti-BTLA mAb and CTLA4Ig, islet allografts showed intact islets and insulin production despite a host cellular response, with local accumulation of Foxp3+ cells. We clearly demonstrate that combined therapy with anti-BTLA mAb and CTLA4Ig mice induced donor-specific tolerance, since mice accepted a second donor-specific islet graft without further treatment and rejected third party grafts. CTLA4Ig and anti-BTLA mAb limited the initial in vivo proliferation of CFSE-labeled allogeneic lymphocytes, and anti-BTLA mAb enhanced the proportion of PD-1 expressing T cells while depleting pathogenic BTLA+ lymphocytes. We conclude that targeting the BTLA pathway in conjunction with CTLA4Ig costimulatory blockade may be a useful strategy for promoting immunological tolerance in murine islet allografts.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Abatacept
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / pharmacology*
  • Antigens, Differentiation / metabolism
  • Blood Glucose / metabolism
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / pathology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / pathology
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Immunoconjugates / pharmacology*
  • Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / immunology*
  • Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / pathology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred C3H
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor
  • Receptors, Immunologic / genetics
  • Receptors, Immunologic / immunology*
  • Receptors, Immunologic / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / pathology
  • Transplantation Tolerance / drug effects*
  • Transplantation Tolerance / immunology
  • Transplantation, Homologous
  • Up-Regulation / drug effects

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antigens, Differentiation
  • BTLA protein, mouse
  • Blood Glucose
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • Foxp3 protein, mouse
  • Immunoconjugates
  • Pdcd1 protein, mouse
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor
  • Receptors, Immunologic
  • Abatacept