Role of RANTES in evolution of alloreactive CD4+ memory T cells adoptive transfer-induced cardiac allograft acute rejection

Objective To observe the intluence ot chemokine RANTES influence on cardiac allograft acute rejection caused by alloreactive memory CD4+ T cells (Tm) adoptive transfer.Methods Heterotopic heart transplantation (HTx) from Balb/c donors to C57BL/6 recipients was performed by anastomosis of the vessels of the neck.Mice undergoing heterotopic heart transplantation received either adoptive transfer of 1 × 106 CD4+ Tm from the spleen of alloantigen-primed C57BL/6 mice or no cells (control group).After the cardiac transplantation,the mean survival time (MST),mean histologic rank of rejection,relative gene expression and serum concentration of RANTES in the cardiac grafts.Results (1) The percentage of CD4+ Tm was 26.83％ at the spleen of alloantigenprimed mice; (2) The MST was 5.17 ± 0.17 days in the CD4+ Tm+ HTx group versus 7.76 ± 0.21 days at the HTx group (control group) (P＜0.01); (3) The histological tests revealed that mean histologic rank of rejection activity in the sections of cardiac allografts on the day 5 post grafting was grade 3.92 ± 0.08 in the HTx+ CD4+Tm group versus grade 2.67 ± 0.14 in HTx group (P＜0.01) ;(4) The relative gene expression level of RANTES was 2.6 ± 0.21 in the CD4+ Tm + HTx group,significantly higher than in the control group (P＜0.01) ; (5) The serum concentration of RANTES in the CD4+ Tm+ HTx group was 223.6 ± 16.79 pg/mL,higher than in the control group (120.7 ±9.47 pg/mL,P＜0.01).Conclusion Alloreactive CD4+ Tm contribute to the increased expression and secretion of RANTES,and cardiac allograft acute rejection was more extensive in the CD4 + Tm + HTx group. Key words: Chemotactic factors;  CD4-positive T-lyrmphocytes;  Heart translpantation;  Acute rejection ;  Mice