Brief ex vivo Fas-ligand incubation attenuates GvHD without compromising stem cell graft performance

Bone Marrow Transplant. 2020 Jul;55(7):1305-1316. doi: 10.1038/s41409-020-0941-2. Epub 2020 May 20.

Abstract

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) remains a limiting factor for successful hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). T cells and antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are major components of the hematopoietic G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood cell (MPBC) graft. Here we show that a short incubation (2 h) of MPBCs with hexameric Fas ligand (FasL) selectively induces apoptosis of specific donor T cell subsets and APCs but not of CD34+ cells. FasL treatment preferentially induces apoptosis in mature T cell subsets which express high levels of Fas (CD95), such as T stem cell memory, T central memory, and T effector memory cells, as well as TH1 and TH17 cells. Anti-CD3/CD28 stimulated T cells derived from FasL-treated-MPBCs express lower levels of CD25 and secrete lower levels of IFN-γ as compared to control cells not treated with FasL. FasL treatment also induces apoptosis of transitional, naïve, memory and plasmablastoid B cells leading to a reduction in their numbers in the graft and following engraftment in transplanted mice. Most importantly, ex vivo treatment of MPBCs with FasL prior to transplant in conditioned NOD-scid IL2Rγnull (NSG) mice prevented GvHD while preserving graft versus leukemia (GvL) effects, and leading to robust stem cell engraftment.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Fas Ligand Protein
  • Graft vs Host Disease* / prevention & control
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Ligands
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Stem Cells

Substances

  • Fas Ligand Protein
  • Ligands