Extensive apoptosis occurring in the thymus during accelerated rejection of cardiac allografts in presensitized rats.

Cardiac allografts of (Lewis x Brown Norway) F1 rats are rejected by Lewis recipients at 7.5 days after engrafting. When recipients are presensitized with Brown Norway skin grafts at 7 days before engrafting, the cardiac grafts are rejected between 24 and 36 h (accelerated rejection, ACR). We previously demonstrated that the number of thymocytes in recipients showing ACR is decreased to approximately one eighth at 24 h after engrafting, and the thymocytes remaining in the thymus are phenotypically and functionally more mature. In the present study, flow cytometric analysis of the thymocytes in the sensitized recipient at 24 h after engraftment demonstrated that the frequency of single positive cells (CD4+CD8- and CD4-CD8+) was increased and that of double positive cells (CD4+CD8+) was decreased, indicating that immature thymocytes preferentially disappeared during the ACR episode. Thymocytes of the recipients undergoing ACR suffered from extensive apoptosis, characterized by chromatin condensation in the nuclei, cell shrinkage, nuclear collapse, and DNA fragmentation. Serum levels of corticosterone were elevated but were within a similar range among the transplant recipients destined for acute rejection, those undergoing ACR, and isografted controls, suggesting the participation of mediator(s) other than glucocorticoid in the induction of extensive apoptosis in the transplant recipients with ACR. We propose that thymocyte apoptosis is accelerated during the allograft rejection episode.