Altered nucleic acid contents of mononuclear cells in blood of renal allograft recipients.

The DNA and RNA contents of blood mononuclear cell populations of 29 cadaver renal allograft recipients and 49 blood donors (controls) were estimated by acridine orange flow cytometry (AO FCM) to assess their cell cycle status. All patients received azathioprine and prednisone for immunosuppression. The patients represented three clinical categories: clinically stable patients, those with acute rejections (clinically overt or impending), and those with infections. Three cell cycle compartments were analyzed for percentage (%) and RNA content (R) of cells: G0/1, consisting of all cells with diploid DNA content; 2 S.D., consisting of cells with diploid DNA content and RNA content 2 standard deviations above the mean RNA content of controls; and SG2M, consisting of cells with a DNA content higher than that of G0/1 cells. The relative coefficient of variation (rCV) of the DNA distribution of G0/1 cells was also determined. In such cell cycle evaluations, the means of rCV and SG2M% of stable recipients were significantly different from those of blood donors. Multivariate analysis of the variables of the three categories of patients resulted in the tentative formulation of two simple logistic equations: one that differentiates stable patients from those with impending or overt rejections based on 2SD% and another one that distinguishes infected patients from those with impending or overt rejections based on SG2M% and RG0/1.