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Identification of specific Treg subpopulations for individualized immunosuppression

Transplantation and cell research

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are of central importance for the maintenance of feto-maternal immune tolerance during pregnancy. These immunosuppressive cells also significantly influence the acceptance of a transplanted organ.

We were able to identify major similarities with regard to changes in specific Treg subpopulations and their functional activity in pregnant women and kidney transplant recipients (Kisielewicz A, Schaier M, Clin Immunology, 2010).
Furthermore, we were able to show that the suppressive activity of the total Treg cell pool is significantly dependent on its proportion of DRlow+ and DRhigh+ Tregs and thus on its HLA-DR Mean Fluorescence Intensity (MFI) of the DR+ Treg population (Schaier M, PLoS ONE, 2012).

This HLA-DR MFI of DR+-Tregs is significantly reduced in patients with acute transplant rejection and can be used as a non-invasive marker for screening early acute transplant rejection (Schaier M, Transplant Intern, 2012).

 

In patients with acute rejection, steroid bolus therapy leads to an increase in highly suppressive DRhigh+ Tregs. (Seissler N, Transplant Immunol, 2012).

Patients with normal and disturbed course of pregnancy, patients with autoimmune diseases as well as kidney transplant patients with complication-free course and acute transplant rejection serve as test subjects.

These investigations could identify various known or new Treg subpopulations that are important for immune monitoring during a high-risk pregnancy or after an organ transplant.

It is possible that such immune monitoring could enable individualized immunosuppressive therapy.

 

Project management

PD Dr. med. Matthias Schaier
matthias_schaier@med.uni-heidelberg.de

+49 6221 9112 0

Persons involved

Sabine Bönisch-Schmidt, MTA
Larissa Schönhoff, MTA
Helmut Simon, MTA
Cand. med. Claudius Gottschalk
Cand. med. Angèle Leick
Cand. med. Janice Maib

Partner

Prof. Dr. Andrea Steinborn, Department of Gynaecology, University of Heidelberg

Supported by the Dietmar Hopp Foundation