Rufer N, Breur-Vriesendorp B, Tiercy J M, Gauchat-Feiss D, Shi X, Slavcev A, Lardy N, Chapuis B, Gratwohl A, Speiser D
Department of Medicine, Canton Hospital, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Hum Immunol. 1994 Sep;41(1):96-101. doi: 10.1016/0198-8859(94)90092-2.
We have characterized HLA incompatibilities in a group of 17 B35-positive patients who were ABDR matched (AB serology and oligotyping for DR1-14) with their 28 (unrelated) potential bone marrow donors. High-resolution oligotyping for DR subtypes disclosed that nine combinations were in fact DR mismatched. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activity was detected in nine combinations (32%). In the group matched for DR subtypes, three (16%) of 19 combinations were CTL positive. Patient-specific cytotoxic activity appeared to be directed against HLA C (two cases) or against a subtype of B35. In the group of DR-subtype-mismatched combinations, CTL activity was found in six (67%) of nine pairs. In all four cases that were studied in detail, however, CTL reactivity appeared to be directed against a variant subtype of B35. We have studied the B35 incompatibilities recognized in five different combinations by specificity analysis of the B35-specific CTLs and by partially sequencing of relevant segments of B35 exon 3. Preliminary data show that, within this relatively small Caucasoid group, at least five B35-variant subtypes could be distinguished. This would make B35 an antigen that will be frequently subtype mismatched, in particular when DR matching is done with low resolution (DR1-14) only.
