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J. Exp. Med.,
Volume 187, Number 8, April 20, 1998 1335-1342
1-3Gal Natural Antibody-forming
B Cells by Induction of Mixed Chimerism
By


From the * Transplantation Biology Research Center, Surgical Service, Massachusetts General
Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02129; and Xenotransplantation could overcome the severe shortage of allogeneic organs, a major factor
limiting organ transplantation. Unfortunately, transplantation of organs from pigs, the most
suitable potential donor species, results in hyperacute rejection in primate recipients, due to the
presence of anti-Gal
BioTransplant, Inc.,
Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129
1-3Gal (Gal) natural antibodies (NAbs) in their sera. We evaluated the
ability to tolerize anti-Gal NAb-producing B cells in
1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout (GalT KO) mice using bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from GalT+/+ wild-type (WT)
mice. Lasting mixed chimerism was achieved in KO mice by cotransplantation of GalT KO
and WT marrow after lethal irradiation. The levels of anti-Gal NAb in sera of mixed chimeras were reduced markedly 2 wk after BMT, and became undetectable at later time points. Immunization with Gal+/+ xenogeneic cells failed to stimulate anti-Gal antibody production in
mixed chimeras, whereas the production of non-Gal-specific antixenoantigen antibodies was
stimulated. An absence of anti-Gal-producing B cells was demonstrated by enzyme-linked immunospot assays in mixed KO+WT
KO chimeras. Thus, mixed chimerism efficiently induces anti-Gal-specific B cell tolerance in addition to T cell tolerance, providing a single
approach to overcoming both the humoral and the cellular immune barriers to discordant xenotransplantation.
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