{"title":"A novel Sai-based antioxidant agent attenuates antibody-mediated rejection in allogeneic rat kidney transplantation.","authors":"Masataka Kawamura, Soichi Matsumura, Toyofumi Abe, Yuki Kobayashi, Shota Fukae, Ryo Tanaka, Ayumu Taniguchi, Shigeaki Nakazawa, Kazuaki Yamanaka, Taigo Kato, Tomoko Namba-Hamano, Hikaru Kobayashi, Norio Nonomura, Yoichi Kakuta, Ryoichi Imamura","doi":"10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) remains a leading cause of graft loss during kidney transplantation. Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) has been reported to promote T-cell proliferation, leading to B-cell activation and subsequent production of donor-specific antibodies (DSA), which target antigens on the vascular endothelium. We hypothesize that a novel therapeutic strategy targeting highly toxic reactive oxygen species could mitigate oxidative stress and immune responses associated with IRI. Our previous study demonstrated that oral administration of a silicon (Si)-based agent consistently generates substantial amounts of hydrogen, effectively suppressing IRI-induced oxidative stress and acute kidney injury in a rat renal clamp model. Here, we investigated the effect of the Si-based agent on immune responses in an allogeneic kidney transplant setting. Using both short-term and long-term evaluation models, we found that the Si-based agent suppressed oxidative stress and acquired immunity activation. Furthermore, early suppression of DSA production and amelioration of chronic ABMR were observed. These findings indicate that the Si-based agent offers protective effects on graft function and survival, highlighting its potential clinical application to improve outcomes for kidney transplant recipients.</p>","PeriodicalId":123,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143027697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Downregulation of N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) Methylation of Sema4D mRNA Contributes to Treg Dysfunction and Allograft Rejection.","authors":"Yanzhuo Liu, Qiang Fu, Maozhu Yang, Jianli Xu, Zili Zhou, Xingmin Chen, Yanling Zhang, Hao Yuan, Guiqing Jia, Shu He, Lu Yang, Gaoping Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Regulatory T cells (Tregs) has been shown to be involved in the induction of transplantation tolerance in numerous models. Our previous work demonstrated that METTL14 loss impaired Treg function and hindered the establishment of transplantation tolerance. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we found that METTL14 knockdown in Tregs significantly impaired their regulatory function, leading to poor allograft function and accelerated transplant rejection. Through MeRIP and mRNA sequencing approaches, we discovered that METTL14 deficiency fostered the expression of Sema4D mRNA, a key semaphorin family member with immunoregulatory activity. Methylation of target adenosines reduced Sema4D mRNA degradation, a process mediated by the METTL14-YTHDF2 axis. Inhibition of Sema4D suppressed its interaction with its receptor, thereby preserving Treg immunoregulation capability and prolonging allograft survival through the PAK-STAT5 signaling pathway. Importantly, Sema4D expression in kidney transplant biopsies were negatively correlated with renal allograft survival. In summary, our findings suggest that METTL14 deficiency in Tregs leads to transplant rejection and reveal for the first time that Sema4D may serve as a potential therapeutic target to enhance Treg function in transplantation.</p>","PeriodicalId":123,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143027699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elaine Ku, Charles E McCulloch, Garrett Roll, Deborah Adey, Puneet Sood, Andrew Posselt, Barbara A Grimes, Kirsten L Johansen
{"title":"Association between bariatric surgery after kidney transplantation and graft and survival outcomes.","authors":"Elaine Ku, Charles E McCulloch, Garrett Roll, Deborah Adey, Puneet Sood, Andrew Posselt, Barbara A Grimes, Kirsten L Johansen","doi":"10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bariatric surgery has been shown to be safe in chronic kidney disease and improves access of patients to transplantation. Whether bariatric surgery after kidney transplantation associates with improved graft or patient survival has not been examined nationally. We included adults with obesity who received a first kidney transplant according to the US Renal Data System between 2003-2019. We matched 4 controls to each case of bariatric surgery based on age at transplantation, sex, donor type, diabetes, and body mass index at transplantation (BMI). We examined the association between bariatric surgery and graft failure or death using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models and Fine-Gray models accounting for death as a competing risk. We included 770 patients, of whom 155 (20%) received bariatric surgery. Median age was 45 years and 56% were women. Receipt of bariatric surgery was associated improved graft survival (HR 0.57; 95% CI 0.34-0.98) in fully adjusted models, though findings did not consistently maintain statistical significance in competing risk analyses (SHR 0.60; 95% CI 0.35-1.02). Receipt of bariatric surgery was associated with lower risk of death (HR 0.45; 95% CI 0.26-0.76). In conclusion, bariatric surgery is associated with improved patient survival, and potentially graft survival after kidney transplantation.</p>","PeriodicalId":123,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143027698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Martin Kauke-Navarro, William J Crisler, Nour Younis, Radhika S Khetani, Sam Sadigh, Jessica E Teague, Shannan J Ho Sui, Christine Ko, Qian Zhan, Samuel Steuart, Nathaniel S Treister, Jordan Pober, Jamil Azzi, Rachael A Clark, Bohdan Pomahac
{"title":"B-cell infiltration distinguishes mucosal from skin patterns of rejection in facial vascularized composite allografts.","authors":"Martin Kauke-Navarro, William J Crisler, Nour Younis, Radhika S Khetani, Sam Sadigh, Jessica E Teague, Shannan J Ho Sui, Christine Ko, Qian Zhan, Samuel Steuart, Nathaniel S Treister, Jordan Pober, Jamil Azzi, Rachael A Clark, Bohdan Pomahac","doi":"10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rejection monitoring in facial vascularized composite allotransplantation (fVCA) traditionally focuses on skin biopsies. However, mucosal rejection frequently presents with more pronounced signs of immune activity. To explore mechanistic differences between skin and mucosal rejection, rejection and non-rejection biopsies from allograft skin and oral mucosa of nine fVCA recipients were retrospectively analyzed using histology, multiplex immunostaining, and gene expression profiling, with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) quantified via mass cytometry (CyTOF). Both skin and mucosa exhibited similar patterns of granzyme B expressing (GZMB<sup>+</sup>) T-cells, indicating T-cell-mediated rejection in both tissues. However, mucosa demonstrated additional CD19<sup>+</sup> B-cell infiltration and occasional plasma cells, which were absent in skin. These intramucosal B-cells expressed AHNAK and CD43, suggesting they may be innate-like B-cells (Bin cells). CD8<sup>+</sup>/GZMB<sup>+</sup> cells and B-cell populations were enriched in PBMCs during combined skin and mucosal rejection but not isolated skin rejection. These findings suggest distinct rejection mechanisms in skin and mucosa, with mucosa uniquely involving B-cells. Current skin-focused rejection monitoring may overlook important mucosal rejection events, emphasizing the need to monitor both tissues concurrently. Mucosal biopsies could improve the accuracy in detecting acute rejection.</p>","PeriodicalId":123,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143021415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jonathan M Miller,Kelley Poff,Jesse N Howell,Oscar K Serrano,Jim Kim,Alejandro Diez,Grace R Lyden,Bryn W Thompson,David Zaun,Jon J Snyder
{"title":"Updating the kidney donor risk index: Removing donor race and hepatitis C virus status.","authors":"Jonathan M Miller,Kelley Poff,Jesse N Howell,Oscar K Serrano,Jim Kim,Alejandro Diez,Grace R Lyden,Bryn W Thompson,David Zaun,Jon J Snyder","doi":"10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.015","url":null,"abstract":"This study reports the results of a recalculation of the kidney donor risk index (KDRI) formula requested by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network's Minority Affairs Committee to remove donor race and hepatitis C virus (HCV) status variables. The updated KDRI model was fit on adult, deceased donor, solitary kidney, first-time transplants from 2018 through 2021. Deceased donors from 2018 through 2021 were included in a counterfactual analysis to evaluate how the kidney donor profile index (KDPI) would change if race and HCV seropositivity were excluded. When recalculating the original KDRI models on 2018-2021 transplants, the donor Black race coefficient was only slightly lower (β = 0.18 in original model; β = 0.15 in 2018-2021 cohort), while the donor HCV seropositivity coefficient was substantially lower (β = 0.24 in original model; β = -0.04 in 2018-2021 cohort). Among Black donors, the probability of being classified as KDPI ≤ 20% increased and the probability of being classified as KDPI > 85% decreased notably when the Black race and HCV variables were removed from the model. Removing the donor race and donor HCV status variables in an updated KDRI model resulted in more racially equitable KDPI distributions.","PeriodicalId":123,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Transplantation","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142991680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Setting the Record Straight About Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP) in the Setting of Donation After Circulatory Death (DCD) - Facts vs. Fiction.","authors":"Lambros Tsonis,Malcolm MacConmara,Magdy Attia,Farhan Zafar","doi":"10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.006","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":123,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Transplantation","volume":"205 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142991678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aleksandra Kukla,Scott C Lester,Anum Iqbal,Raymund R Razonable,Naim Issa,Samy Riad,Jean C Fox,Mikel Prieto,Yogish C Kudva
{"title":"Pancreas Irradiation for Treatment-Resistant Acute Cellular Rejection in a Severely Immunocompromised Pancreas after Kidney Transplant Recipient - Case Report.","authors":"Aleksandra Kukla,Scott C Lester,Anum Iqbal,Raymund R Razonable,Naim Issa,Samy Riad,Jean C Fox,Mikel Prieto,Yogish C Kudva","doi":"10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.012","url":null,"abstract":"Treating acute rejection of a pancreas transplant in a severely immunocompromised patient with viral opportunistic infection is challenging due to the balance of rescuing from rejection without worsening the morbidity of infection and prolonging the infection episode. We present a case involving a pancreas-after-kidney transplant in a patient with CMV high-risk discordance (donor positive/recipient negative) and chronic lymphopenia who developed difficult-to-treat CMV disease approximately six months after pancreas transplant. Following the withdrawal of the antimetabolite due to the persistent CMV DNAemia and lymphopenia, the patient experienced acute pancreas rejection without adequate and sustained response to treatment with steroids and Thymoglobulin. Moreover, systemic treatment for rejection resulted in higher CMV replication. Pancreas transplant irradiation was performed 5 months after initial pancreatic enzymes increase, resulting in a decrease of lipase below the normal range for 4-6 months thereafter. While pancreatic beta cells function appeared to be preserved based on stimulated C peptide testing, the patient suffered ongoing CMV DNAemia despite the treatment and eventually presented with hyperglycemia and DKA requiring insulin initiation. Pancreas allograft irradiation may be an option for the treatment of acute pancreas rejection. Appropriate timing to implement this modality and long-term endocrine outcomes need to be prospectively studied.","PeriodicalId":123,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Transplantation","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142991677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Continuous donor-recipient age matching in the Eurotransplant region: outcomes, parameters and prediction.","authors":"Maarten Coemans,Maarten Naesens","doi":"10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.011","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":123,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Transplantation","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142991706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Normothermic regional and ex-situ perfusion reduces Postreperfusion syndrome in donation after circulatory death liver transplantation: a retrospective comparative study.","authors":"Anand Puttappa,Rohit Gaurav,Vibhay Kakhandki,Lisa Swift,Corrina Fear,Rachel Webster,Ahmed Radwan,Musab Mohammed,Andrew Butler,John Klinck,Christopher Watson","doi":"10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.007","url":null,"abstract":"In controlled donation after circulatory death (DCD) liver transplantation, ischemia-reperfusion injury is linked to post-reperfusion syndrome (PRS), acute kidney injury (AKI), and early allograft dysfunction (EAD). Normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) and normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) are techniques that mitigate ischemic injury and associated complications. In this single centre retrospective study, we compared early transplant outcomes of DCD livers undergoing direct procurement (DP) and static cold storage (DCD-DP-SCS), NRP procurement with SCS (DCD-NRP-SCS), or DP with NMP (DCD-DP-NMP). Two hundred and thirty-eight DCD liver recipients were evaluated, comprising 59 DCD-DP-SCS, 101 DCD-NRP-SCS, and 78 DCD-DP-NMP. Overall, the PRS incidence was 19%. DCD-DP-SCS had higher incidence of PRS (37%; P<0.001), AKI stage≥2 (47%; P=0.033), and increased Model for Early Allograft Function (MEAF) score (p<0.001). In adjusted multivariate analysis, recipient age (OR 1.10, 95%CI 1.05-1.17; P<0.001), and normothermic perfusion (DCD-NRP-SCS OR 0.16, 95%CI 0.06-0.39; P<0.001; DCD-DP-NMP OR 0.38, 95%CI 0.15-0.91; P=0.032) were significant predictors of PRS, which itself was associated with worse 5-year transplant survival (graft survival non-censored-to-death; HR 2.9, 95%CI 1.3-6.7; P=0.012). Compared to static cold storage alone, use of either NRP or NMP significantly reduced the incidence of PRS and AKI with better early graft function.","PeriodicalId":123,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Transplantation","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142991707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Suk-Chan Jang,Gi-Ae Kim,Young-Suk Lim,Hye-Lin Kim,Eui-Kyung Lee
{"title":"Association between Everolimus Combination Therapy and Cancer Risk after Liver Transplantation: A Nationwide Population-based Quasi-Cohort Study.","authors":"Suk-Chan Jang,Gi-Ae Kim,Young-Suk Lim,Hye-Lin Kim,Eui-Kyung Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2025.01.005","url":null,"abstract":"The potential of everolimus in reducing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among recipients following liver transplantation has been reported. This nationwide population-based quasi-cohort study investigated whether combining everolimus with calcineurin inhibitor therapy affects the risk of HCC and extrahepatic cancers compared to a time-duration-matched cohort of recipients not receiving everolimus. Using data covering the entire population from Korea, liver transplant recipients who had initiated immunosuppressants between June 2015 and February 2020 were collected and divided into two groups: the everolimus combination and non-combination groups. We calculated adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and absolute risk reduction (ARR) for the risk of HCC and extrahepatic cancer with everolimus combination therapy using a Cox regression model. A time-duration-matched retrospective cohort of 932 recipients in both of the groups was identified. The everolimus combination group showed a lower risk of HCC (aHR, 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.30-0.94) and extrahepatic cancers (aHR, 0.30; 95% CI 0.14-0.63) compared to the non-combination group. The ARR was 0.004 for HCC and 0.012 for extrahepatic cancer. The findings suggest that adding everolimus to calcineurin inhibitor therapy reduces cancer risk in liver transplant recipients, highlighting the importance of considering cancer risk when choosing immunosuppressive therapies.","PeriodicalId":123,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Transplantation","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142991705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}