Enhanced survival but reduced engraftment in murine recipients of recombinant granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor following transplantation of T-cell-depleted histoincompatible bone marrow.

In vivo administration of murine recombinant granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating factor (rGM-CSF) was evaluated for effects on survival and engraftment in an allogeneic murine bone marrow transplantation (BMT) model involving T-cell depletion of donor marrow. The model provides a high incidence of graft failure/rejection. Recipients of continuous subcutaneous infusions of rGM-CSF had a significant survival advantage when compared with untreated controls. However, a significantly lower incidence of donor cell engraftment was noted. Hematological parameters were not substantially affected. When rGM-CSF was administered intraperitoneally (IP), twice daily injections closely approximated the effects of continuous infusion on survival. Single IP injections were without significant effects on survival or engraftment. These results demonstrate that prolonged frequent in vivo exposure to rGM-CSF can significantly improve survival but significantly decreases donor cell repopulation in recipients of T-cell-depleted histoincompatible marrow grafts.

Absence of a facilitory role for NK 1.1-positive donor cells in engraftment across a major histocompatibility barrier in mice.

Ex vivo T cell depletion of donor marrow grafts in humans and mice has virtually eliminated severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). However, as a consequence of T cell depletion, sustained donor cell engraftment is likely compromised. Since the majority of T cell depletion techniques also deplete natural killer (NK) cells, we investigated the role of donor NK cells in engraftment and GVHD in a murine model. Using a monoclonal antibody directed against an NK-specific epitope, we have selectively depleted NK cells while preserving donor marrow T cells. In an established model of engraftment, selective NK depletion demonstrated that removal of donor NK cells did not impair the engraftment process under conditions in which donors and recipients are major histocompatibility complex-disparate. In contrast, recipients of anti-Thy 1.2 plus complement (C')-treated marrow grafts had a significantly higher incidence of either partial engraftment or graft rejection as compared with recipients of selective NK-depleted donor grafts or control grafts. In addition, we have observed that NK-specific depletion of donor marrow/splenocyte inocula does not alter the incidence of GVHD. Recipients of NK-depleted donor grafts developed lethal acute GVHD, whereas recipients of anti-Thy 1.2-depleted donor grafts did not (P less than 0.0001). Interestingly, NK 1.1-depleted donor graft recipients had a significantly increased mortality in comparison with control groups receiving C'-treated grafts (P = 0.04) or anti-Thy 1.2 plus C'-treated grafts (P less than 0.05). Thus, NK depletion may reduce immunosurveillance, thereby increasing the risk of posttransplant infection. We conclude from these results that donor NK cells play an insignificant role in engraftment as well as in the afferent phase of GVHD, but may be important in immunosurveillance when murine bone marrow is transplanted across the major histocompatibility barrier.

Augmentation of donor bone marrow engraftment in histoincompatible murine recipients by granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor.

T cell depletion of donor bone marrow can prevent graft v host disease (GVHD) in human and murine marrow graft recipients. However, engraftment in the recipient may be compromised as a consequence of donor marrow T cell depletion. The effect of recombinant murine granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rmu GM-CSF) on engraftment and hematologic reconstitution was evaluated in a murine allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) model involving T cell depletion of marrow. Before transplantation into irradiated mice differing at major and minor histocompatibility loci, rmu GM-CSF was preincubated with T cell-depleted donor marrow. When low degrees of engraftment were noted in control recipients, treatment of donor marrow with high concentrations of rmu GM-CSF led to enhanced engraftment. Ex vivo donor graft incubation with rmu GM-CSF or a single in vivo injection of rmu GM-CSF were both effective means of promoting engraftment. When the engraftment rate in control recipients was high, rmu GM-CSF did not have an identifiable effect. Only slight increases in hematologic recovery were detected regardless of the rate of engraftment. Neither post-BMT survival nor marrow stem cell capacity was affected by rmu GM-CSF incubation. Furthermore, growth factor administration did not have a significant effect on the incidence of GVHD in recipients of non-T cell-depleted bone marrow splenocyte preparations. In vitro natural killer-mediated target cell lysis was not altered by incubation of effector cells with rmu GM-CSF. These results demonstrate the potential of ex vivo rmu GM-CSF treatment of donor marrow to facilitate engraftment across extensive histo-compatibility barriers.

Assessment of multi-organ system engraftment by genotypic typing using restriction fragment-length polymorphisms and by phenotypic typing using a microcytotoxicity assay.

We report the first application of Southern blotting techniques for the quantitative assessment of the donor or host origin of cell populations present in recipients of allogeneic or sex-mismatched syngeneic murine donor marrow grafts. The sensitivity of this assay system was noted to 1 to 5% for detection of a minor cell population by using cDNA probes that hybridize to single-copy sequences in the murine genome. The use of probes that generate distinguishing autoradiographic patterns due to strain-specific genomic sequence variations obviates the need for retroviral vector transfections (which potentially skew engraftment quantitation). Southern blotting analysis has provided definitive engraftment data in multiple cell populations isolated from both short-term and long-term allogeneic and syngeneic radiation chimeras. In contrast, H-2 typing in a microcytotoxicity assay, a standard typing technique for allogeneic murine donor cell engraftment, was noted to be less sensitive than Southern blotting. This occurred particularly in selected cell populations, in ill-appearing recipients, and in the early post-BMT period. Furthermore, because H-2 typing is a phenotypic assay, the results may be substantially influenced by the passive cell surface acquisition of host H-2 antigens, a process that is not evident with the use of genotyping techniques. Our results establish the superiority of Southern blotting techniques for the quantitation of donor cell engraftment and demonstrate the potential of this methodology when low-level detection of engrafted donor or residual host cells is of critical physiologic importance.

Assessment of immunocompetence by limiting dilution analysis in long-term T cell depletion chimeras transplanted across the MHC barrier.

Chimeras were generated in a system in which donor C57BL/6 bone marrow plus spleen cells were T-cell-depleted prior to transplantation into lethally irradiated DBA/2 recipients. This protocol permits donor lymphohematopoietic engraftment and protects transplanted mice from development of lethal GVHD. The frequencies of alloantigen-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTL) and/or CTL precursors (CTL-P) in the chimera spleens were determined by limiting dilution analysis. This identified a small population of host-reactive CTL-P. The presence of host-reactive CTL-P in the absence of detectable anti-host immune response raises questions concerning the maintenance of the tolerant state in chimeras. Using mixtures of chimera and normal C57BL/6 splenocytes we found no evidence by limiting-dilution analysis for regulatory cells capable of dampening antihost immune reactivity in chimera spleens. We next measured the frequency of third-party-reactive CTL-P in chimeras. Chimeras displayed low CTL-P frequency by the 30th day posttransplant, which increased 15-21-fold over a five-month interval. Interestingly, both chimeric and irradiated syngeneic reconstituted control mice recovered anti-third-party CTL-P at a similar rate, but CTL-P levels never reached those measured in normal unirradiated control mice, suggesting that the radiation regimen has a long-lasting influence on host immunocompetence. In concomitant experiments we measured third-party CTL generation in MLC. Our findings suggest that measurement of CTL generation in MLC may be a less sensitive assessment of immunocompetence than LDA analysis. Our data also suggest that irradiated T-cell-depleted chimeras may suffer prolonged immunologic deficiencies based on reduced frequencies of alloreactive CTL-P.

A correlation between conditioning and engraftment in recipients of MHC-mismatched T cell-depleted murine bone marrow transplants.

We studied engraftment in a murine model of allogeneic bone marrow (BM) transplantation. Recipient C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice were conditioned with single-dose (9 or 7.5 Gy) total body irradiation (TBI), fractionated (4 X 3.3 Gy) TBI, hyperfractionated (8 X 1.65 Gy) TBI, 2 X 120 mg/kg cyclophosphamide (CY) followed by 7.5 Gy TBI, or 300 mg/kg CY followed by 9 Gy total lymphoid irradiation (TLI). Conditioned mice were transplanted with BALB/c (H-2d) BM supplemented with splenocytes (BMS) to facilitate graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). Ex vivo T cell depletion of the BMS with anti-Thy-1.2 antibody and complement protected recipients from lethal GVHD. Engraftment was measured in transplanted animals by serotyping peripheral blood mononuclear cells with anti-H-2-specific antibodies and complement. Mice that were given a T cell-depleted BMS transplant after conditioning with 9 Gy TBI, fractionated TBI, or CY plus TBI showed a 99 to 100% incidence of engraftment. However, if the T cell-depleted graft was given to mice conditioned with hyperfractionated TBI, 7.5 Gy TBI, or CY plus TLI, only 3 to 32% of the animals engrafted. BM which was not T cell-depleted engrafted in 63 to 100% of the mice regardless of the conditioning used. Nonengrafted mice tested with anti-host type antibody demonstrated autologous recovery. We conclude that engraftment or failure/rejection of BM in transplanted mice is determined in part by a dynamic equilibrium between T cells present in the donor graft and the surviving hemopoietic cells in the conditioned recipient. More intensive conditioning of the recipient allows engraftment of T cell-depleted, mismatched BMS. Such conditioning is not limited to a single modality, but can be achieved with single-dose TBI, fractionated TBI, or with TBI combined with CY. These findings have timely and important implications for the current understanding of engraftment in human allogeneic BM transplantation following T cell depletion.

Monoclonal antibody-toxin conjugates reactive against human T lymphocytes. A comparison of antibody linked to intact ricin toxin with antibody linked to ricin A chain.

A non-complement-binding monoclonal antibody, TA-1, recognizing determinants on human T lymphocytes, was linked to the plant seed toxin ricin, either the intact molecule or purified ricin A chain. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were pretreated with conjugate for 2 hr, washed, and then measured in vitro for T cell proliferation. Studies showed that antibody-intact ricin conjugates were up to 39-fold more inhibitory than antibody-A-chain conjugates. Killing was selective because an unreactive control antibody linked to toxin had minimal inhibitory effect. Dose response curves obtained in human studies were nearly identical to curves obtained in an animal model n which a monoclonal anti-murine T cell antibody (anti-Thy 1.1) was linked to ricin and ricin A chain. In the human system, longer exposures of peripheral blood cells to conjugates did not alter our findings. TA-1-ricin conjugates were tested against human ALL cell lines. KOPN-1, a cell line bearing the determinant reactive with TA-1 was selectively eliminated within 2 days after pretreatment with 500 ng/ml. Even 10-fold greater concentrations of TA-1-A chain were not adequate for leukemic cell destruction. These findings (1) show for the first time in a human model that monoclonal antibodies, directed against certain differentiation antigens when linked to ricin A chain are not as effective in normal or malignant cell killing as when linked to intact ricin; (2) contribute to the growing body of evidence showing that monoclonal antibody A chain conjugates do not permit the acquisition of levels of toxin sufficient to destroy target cells; and (3) are important relative to increasing interest in use of antibody-toxin conjugates for graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Anti-T cell monoclonal antibodies conjugated to ricin as potential reagents for human GVHD prophylaxis: effect on the generation of cytotoxic T cells in both peripheral blood and bone marrow.

Three murine anti-human monoclonal antibodies broadly reactive with human T cells were conjugated to intact ricin toxin. The purgative effects of these immunotoxins (IT) on alloreactive T cells after in vitro pretreatment was tested in an in vitro assay measuring the generation of cytotoxic T cells (CTL). Pretreatment was performed in the presence of lactose to block the native binding of ricin, thus rendering IT antibody specific. Blocking studies with free antibody showed that selective toxicity was determined by the antibody moiety of the antibody-toxin conjugate. Our assay system permitted the measurement of significant CTL levels in the bone marrow. Thus, we were able to determine the differential selectivity of IT for T cells as compared with stem cells in the same donor preparation. Our studies show that antibody-intact ricin conjugates have great potential as T cell purgative reagents for GVHD prophylaxis in human BMT.

Bone marrow transplantation across major histocompatibility barriers in mice. II. T cell requirement for engraftment in total lymphoid irradiation-conditioned recipients.

Studies were undertaken to examine the role of T lymphocytes in engraftment of bone marrow (BM) in animals conditioned with total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) prior to transplantation across major histocompatibility barriers. Donor BM (added as a source of lymphohematopoietic stem cells) and spleen cells (added as a source of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-causing cells) were pretreated in vitro with monoclonal anti-Thy-1.2 plus complement (C). T cell-depleted grafts were then give to allogeneic mice conditioned with 900 rad of single dose TLI plus cyclophosphamide (CY). These mice did not engraft. Even in the absence of added spleen cells, elimination of the small T cell population from donor BM grafts prevented engraftment compared with animals that received the same conditioning regimen and untreated donor cells. These control animals demonstrated uniform evidence of engraftment about 1 month after transplantation. Similar findings were reported when recipients were conditioned with fractionated 17 x 200-rad TLI. In TLI plus CY-conditional recipients, we have also observed that increasing the donation of treated bone marrow cells still did not result in significant engraftment. Furthermore, graft failure in mice receiving normal dosages of anti-Thy-1.2 plus C-treated donor cells was not a strain-restricted phenomenon. Moreover, removal of bone marrow T cells with monoclonal anti-Lyt-1 plus complement also resulted in graft failure in TLI-conditioned recipients. In contrast to TLI conditioning, when Thy-1.2 plus C-treated donor cells were given to recipients conditioned with total body irradiation (TBI), a high percentage of engraftment was demonstrated by an H-2 microcytotoxicity assay. Plausible mechanisms for there findings are discussed.

Bone marrow transplantation across major histocompatability barriers in mice. III. Treatment of donor grafts with monoclonal antibodies directed against Lyt determinants.

We studied the effect of eliminating T cells from donor grafts of mice in a system in which bone marrow was transplanted across major histocompatibility barriers. BALB/c bone marrow (added as a source of hematopoietic stem cells) combined with equal volumes of spleen cells (added as a source of GVHD-promoting cells) was pretreated in vitro with monoclonal anti-Lyt-1.2 or Lyt-2.2 plus absorbed rabbit complement before injection into C57BL/6 total-body-irradiated recipients. Functional activity of anti-Lyt monoclonal antibodies was determined in CML assay. Treatment with anti Lyt-1.2 plus C did not have any anti-stem cell activity, as measured by CFU-S assay, and protected recipients from the onset of lethal GVHD. Treatment with Lyt-2.2 plus C also did not reduce CFU-S; however, mice receiving treated marrow did develop GVHD and were all dead by 2 mo, as were untreated control mice. Surviving "anti-Lyt-1.2 + C chimeras" demonstrated a high percentage of donor mononuclear cells in their peripheral blood. Similar results were obtained when C3H/HeN donor BMS was treated with monoclonal anti-Lyt-1.1 plus C and injected into C57BL/6 recipients. These findings show that monoclonal antibodies directed against determinants unrelated to Thy-1 can eliminate T cells in the presence of C and successfully protect transplanted mice from lethal GVHD. They also suggest that these anti-Lyt antibodies may be useful tools in determining subpopulations of T cells that contribute to the development of GVHD.

Bone marrow transplantation across major histocompatibility barriers in mice. Effect of elimination of T cells from donor grafts by treatment with monoclonal Thy-1.2 plus complement or antibody alone.

The current studies were designed to evaluated optimal conditions for reduction of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) by removal of donor T cells from bone marrow inoculum. A model was used in which the addition of spleen cells to donor marrow heavily favored the development of lethal GVHD. Treatment of donor bone marrow plus spleen cells with monoclonal anti-Thy-1.2 antibody plus complement protected lethally irradiated recipients from GVHD across major histocompatibility barriers better than donor cells treated with the same dilution of antibody alone. Engraftment was demonstrated by the presence of high percentages of donor cells in the peripheral blood of these animals and the long-term survival of donor skin grafts. These results may be important in light of the development of new antihuman T cell monoclonal antibodies which may be used in the treatment of donor marrow in clinical transplantation.