Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5
pubmed:dateCreated
2002-4-29
pubmed:abstractText
Acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a serious complication after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Donor-derived T cells infiltrate recipient target organs and cause severe tissue damage, often leading to death of the affected patient. Tissue destruction is a direct result of donor CD8+ T cell activation and cell-mediated cytotoxicity. IL-18 is a novel pro-inflammatory cytokine with potent T(h)1 immune response-promoting and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-inducing activity. IL-18 is strongly induced in experimental mouse models and human patients with acute GvHD. However, the precise role of IL-18 in the development of acute GvHD is still unknown. In this study, we have used IL-18-binding protein, a soluble IL-18 decoy receptor, to specifically neutralize IL-18 in vivo and in vitro. Our results demonstrate that IL-18 is induced during GvHD. However, its effect in the induction of GvHD appears to be redundant, since neutralization of IL-18 does not alter any disease parameter analyzed. Our study further shows that IFN-gamma production and CTL induction upon activation by T cell mitogens or by alloantigen does not involve IL-18-mediated amplification, in contrast to lipopolysaccharide-induced IFN-gamma production. We conclude that IL-18 expression correlates with the course of GvHD; however, its effect is dispensable for IFN-gamma and CTL induction for the initiation phase of this disease, most likely due to direct, IL-18-independent, CTL activation.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
May
pubmed:issn
0953-8178
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
14
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
503-11
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2002
pubmed:articleTitle
IL-18-independent cytotoxic T lymphocyte activation and IFN-gamma production during experimental acute graft-versus-host disease.
pubmed:affiliation
Division of Immunopathology, Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 31, PO Box 62, 3010, Switzerland.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't