Heparan sulfate, an endogenous TLR4 agonist, promotes acute GVHD after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
Journal Article
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains the most common cause of nonrelapse-related morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Although T-cell depletion and intensive immunosuppression are effective in the control of GVHD, they are often associated with higher rates of infection and tumor recurrence. In this study, we showed that heparan sulfate (HS), an extracellular matrix component, can activate Toll-like receptor 4 on dendritic cells in vitro, leading to the enhancement of dendritic cell maturation and alloreactive T-cell responses. We further demonstrated in vivo that serum HS levels were acutely elevated at the onset of clinical GVHD in mice after allo-HSCT. Treatment with the serine protease inhibitor α1-antitrypsin decreased serum levels of HS, leading to a reduction in alloreactive T-cell responses and GVHD severity. Conversely, an HS mimetic that increased serum HS levels accelerated GVHD. In addition, in patients undergoing allo-HSCT for hematologic malignancies, serum HS levels were elevated and correlated with the severity of GVHD. These results identify a critical role for HS in promoting acute GVHD after allo-HSCT, and they suggest that modulation of HS release may have therapeutic potential for the control of clinical GVHD.
Full Text
Duke Authors
- Brennan, Todd Victor
- Cardona, Diana Marcella
- Chao, Nelson Jen An
- Huang, Xiaopei
- Li, Zhiguo
- Yang, Yiping
Cited Authors
- Brennan, TV; Lin, L; Huang, X; Cardona, DM; Li, Z; Dredge, K; Chao, NJ; Yang, Y
Published Date
- October 4, 2012
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 120 / 14
Start / End Page
- 2899 - 2908
PubMed ID
- 22760779
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1528-0020
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1182/blood-2011-07-368720
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States