Gene expression profiles of T cell fraction enriched for donor antigen-reactive T cells in skin allografted recipient mice (II)

Measurement of specific gene expression in clinical samples is a promising approach for monitoring the recipient immune status to the graft in organ transplantation. Identification of biomarker genes closely associated with tolerance or rejection is critical for this monitoring protocol. Unlike previous studies, our microarray analysis focused on donor antigen-reactive T cells, which were prepared by collecting CD69+ T cells from cocultures of recipient peripheral T cells and donor antigen-presenting cells. A comparison of different recipient groups enabled us to identify several tolerance- and rejection-correlated biomarker genes, including previously unknown genes. By measuring biomarker gene expression in the CD69+ T cell fraction using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, we were able to precisely detect the immune status of recipients relative to their graft.

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