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J R Batchelor

Publications and source records attributed to J R Batchelor.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

The molecular basis of alloreactivity.

The strength of the immune response to foreign histocompatibility molecules has long puzzled immunologists. In this article Robert Lechler and colleagues propose that (1) allorecognition is structurally heterogeneous and varies according to the responder and stimulator MHC types, (2) in closely related combinations the focus of the alloreactive T cell may be on epitopes of endogenous peptides that are displayed by stimulator but not by responder MHC molecules, seen in a 'self-restricted' manner, and (3) in more disparate combinations the alloresponse may be directed primarily against residues on the allogeneic MHC molecule itself.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Are primary alloresponses truly primary?

Proliferative T cell responses against major histocompatibility complex (MHC) incompatible stimulator cells in the mixed lymphocyte reaction are conventionally regarded as primary. However, it is generally accepted that the recognition of allogeneic MHC products results from a cross-reaction by self-MHC-restricted cells. These two assumptions were tested by examining the contribution of previously primed and naive T cells to 'primary' alloresponses. Peripheral blood T cells were separated into LFA-3+, memory, and LFA-3-, naive, populations by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. In contrast, to recall antigen responses to Candida albicans which were almost entirely confined to the LFA-3+, memory, population, the proliferative response to MHC incompatible stimulator cells, including HLA-DR-expressing mouse L cell transfectants, was equally distributed between the two T cell subsets in 5 day assays. Furthermore, limiting dilution analysis showed that the frequency of alloreactive T cells did not differ significantly between the two populations. The kinetics of proliferation in the two populations differed but were consistent with their naive and memory phenotype, in that after 3 days of culture the LFA-3+ cells proliferated more strongly to MHC alloantigens. These results show that a substantial proportion of 'primary' alloresponses are contributed by previously primed cells. In addition, the evidence for the cross-reactive hypothesis is supported and extended from the clonal to the population level.

Animals↗

Pretransfused patients with severe aplastic anaemia exhibit high numbers of cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors probably directed at non-HLA antigens.

Patients with severe aplastic anaemia (SAA) have a relatively high risk of graft rejection after transplantation of bone marrow from HLA-identical siblings compared with patients transplanted for leukaemia. This is presumed to be due to pretransplant blood transfusions which sensitize the recipient's immune system to non-HLA antigens expressed on donor marrow cells. To test this hypothesis, we estimated in the peripheral blood of 18 SAA patients, the frequencies of alloreactive cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors (CTL-p) directed against mononuclear cells from syngeneic twins, HLA-identical siblings or HLA-matched unrelated individuals. The results were compared with the frequencies of CTL-p in 13 healthy subjects or leukaemia patients who had not been transfused. Pretransfused patients with SAA had significantly higher frequencies of CTL-p directed against HLA-identical siblings (P = 0.002), and against HLA-matched unrelated individuals (P = 0.004), than did untransfused individuals. In contrast, the frequency of CTL-p in two pretransfused patients against syngeneic mononuclear cells was very low. We propose that the increased numbers of CTL-p in the blood of pretransfused SAA patients are directed against non-HLA antigens on target cells and may be the result of prior blood transfusion.

Anemia, Aplastic↗

DNA polymorphism of major histocompatibility complex class II and class III genes in systemic lupus erythematosus.

We investigated the Taq I digested DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class II genes: HLA-DRB, -DQA, and the class III genes: C4 and 21-hydroxylase(CYP21) in 56 caucasoid patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 62 control subjects in order to define the molecular variation of these genes and their association with SLE. The results showed that the gene frequencies of both HLA-DR2 and -DR3 were significantly increased in the SLE population compared to normal subjects (DR2: 21.4% vs 10.7% chi 2 = 4.5. DR3: 29.6% vs 13.3%; chi 2 = 8.3). A high frequency of C4A and CYP21A gene deletions was also found in SLE patients (SLE 52%, normals 24%). All of 22 SLE patients, and 12 of 15 normal subjects who had C4A and CYP21A gene deletions had a 10.0kb Taq 1 DRB RFLP attributable to the presence of HLA-DR3. Family studies showed linkage of C4A/CYP21A deletions with HLA-B8 and -DR3, and confirmed the previously demonstrated association of the HLA-B8, DR3, C4A*Q0, C4*B1, Bf*S, C2*C haplotype with SLE. Deletions affecting the C4A and CYP21A genes were the commonest cause of C4A null alleles in SLE. No strong association between C4 null phenotype or C4 gene deletion, as determined by RFLP, was observed in patients who possessed DR2.

Complement C4↗

Bone marrow transplantation for chronic myeloid leukemia: the use of histocompatible unrelated volunteer donors.

We treated 17 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) by bone marrow transplantation using marrow from human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched unrelated donors. Patients were conditioned with a combination of in vivo monoclonal antibodies, chemotherapy with daunorubicin (n = 7) or busulfan (n = 10) and cyclophosphamide, and both total body and total lymphoid irradiation. Donor marrow was depleted of T cells by incubation with monoclonal antibodies of the Campath series. Fourteen (88%) of 16 evaluable patients had sustained engraftment. Four (27%) of the 15 evaluable patients developed acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) of grade II or greater, and 4 of 12 evaluable patients developed chronic GVHD. Three patients developed hematological and two developed cytogenetic evidence of relapse. Eight patients (47%) survive at a median follow-up of 32 months (range 10-51 months), giving an actuarial survival of 44%. Five patients remain alive without evidence of hematological or cytogenetic relapse, giving an actuarial disease-free survival of 27%. Pneumonitis caused or contributed to death in six of the nine patients who died. We conclude that T-cell depletion can prevent the severest forms of GVHD but also increases the risk of relapse after transplant with unrelated donors, as it does with HLA-identical siblings. Nevertheless the use of matched unrelated donors should be considered for CML patients who lack HLA-identical siblings.

Adolescent↗

SLE: a rheumatological view. Analysis of the clinical features, serology and immunogenetics of 100 SLE patients during long-term follow-up.

Clinical features and immunogenetics were assessed in 100 SLE patients attending a rheumatology clinic for periods ranging from six months to 11 years (mean five years). Five-year survival was 88 per cent. Joint problems (94 per cent), rash (90 per cent) and haematological abnormalities (89 per cent) were the most common clinical features; neuropsychiatric disturbance (45 per cent) and renal disease (29 per cent) were seen less frequently. A range of serological abnormalities was found, including antinuclear antibodies (98 per cent) and antibodies to phospholipids (38 per cent). Anti-Sm antibodies (7 per cent) showed a marked ethnic bias. Tissue typing confirmed the importance of genetic factors by demonstrating significant increases in A1, B8 and DR3 in white Caucasians. The composite phenotype A1,B8,DR3 was present in 35 per cent of white Caucasian patients with SLE. The A1,B8 phenotype was associated with a relative risk of 8.0 and B8,DR3 with a relative risk of 8.32.

Adolescent↗

Complement system protein C4 and susceptibility to hydralazine-induced systemic lupus erythematosus.

21 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus induced by long-term treatment with hydralazine were investigated to see whether susceptibility to this syndrome was associated with deficiency of the classical pathway complement protein, C4. 16 of 21 (76%) patients had one or more C4 null (ie, non-productive) alleles compared with 35 of 82 normal subjects (43%). This difference was significant. The HLA-DR4 antigen, known to be in linkage disequilibrium with the C4B null allele, was also significantly more frequent in the patients (14 of 21 patients compared with 31 of 81 normal subjects). Susceptibility to hydralazine-induced lupus, as in idiopathic systemic lupus erythematosus, may depend partly upon genetically determined C4 levels.

Alleles↗

Co-recognition of endogenous antigens with HLA-DR1 by alloreactive human T cell clones.

The fine specificity of anti-HLA-DR1 alloreactive, human T cells was investigated by using DR1-expressing human and murine stimulator cells. All three bulk cell lines and six out of seven T cell clones proliferated in response to DR1-expressing mouse L cells. In addition to these species non specific T cells, three clones were identified which proliferated only in response to DR1 expressed by human or by murine stimulator cells. The patterns of response of these clones may reflect specificity for species or lineage-specific peptides with DR1. The results of aldehyde fixation and cytotoxicity experiments suggested that some of the T cell clones which proliferated in response to human and murine DR1 stimulators also required to recognize species-specific antigens. The responses of four of the six clones were abolished by fixation of DR1-L cells but not of a DR-1 EBV transformed lymphoblastoid cell line before co-culture. In addition, these clones were also cytotoxic for DR1-expressing human targets. The same clones which failed to recognize fixed L cells also failed to lyse DR1-L cells in a short term chromium release assay. Taken together these results suggest that some alloreactive anti-DR1, T cells are specific for peptides of cellular proteins seen in the context of the allo-MHC molecule. It is envisaged that L cells when co-cultured with human T cells, process and present peptides derived from proteins that are shed or secreted by the human cells, for co-recognition with DR1 on the L cell surface. The presentation of multiple peptides derived from endogenous proteins by allogeneic cells may contribute to the high precursor frequency of allo-reactive T cells.

Animals↗

Speculations on the specificity of suppression.

The mechanisms of antigen-specific T-cell suppression still remain inadequately explained. There has been a prolonged and unsuccessful hunt for 'suppressor cell markers'. This has largely deflected attention from a critical question--namely, what molecular structures are specifically recognized by cells mediating antigen-specific T-cell suppression? Here, Richard Batchelor and colleagues present the hypothesis that the structures 'seen' by these cells are in principle the same as those recognized by other T cells, that is, a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule holding a peptide in its binding cleft. In the particular circumstances of specific suppression, the peptide is derived from the variable (idiotypic) regions of the T-cell receptor of the target clone.

Animals↗

HLA class III haplotypes in multicase rheumatoid arthritis families.

The class III complement proteins (C2, BF, C4A, and C4B) were studied in 57 multicase rheumatoid arthritis (RA) families. When the gene frequencies for RA probands were compared to a normal control panel (162 haplotypes), a significantly higher frequency of the rare variant C4B*3 was observed (p less than 0.05). No significant differences were seen for the other C2, BF, C4A, or C4B alleles. The most common haplotype found in the probands was HLA-Cw5,B44,C2*C,BF*S,C4A*3,C4B*3,DR4, occurring with a frequency of 0.088. Haplotypes containing HLA-DR4 and Bw62 were found to carry either C4A*3,C4B*3; C4A*3,C4B*1; or C4A*4,C4B*2. When only haplotypes containing DR4 were compared between probands and controls, the frequency of the C4B*3-bearing haplotype remained higher in the probands. It is concluded that Bw62,C4A*3,C4B*3DR4 is a haplotype which is especially associated with RA. The low frequency in the RA population of this haplotype indicates that C4B*3 has a minor role in overall RA susceptibility.

Alleles↗

An allelic cluster of DQ alpha restriction fragments is associated with multiple sclerosis: evidence that a second haplotype may influence disease susceptibility.

Extensive analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphism using HLA class II and T-cell receptor gene probes has been carried out in an attempt to identify genetic markers more strongly associated with multiple sclerosis than the classically defined antigens DR2, Dw2, and DQw1. The use of DNA pooled from groups of patients and controls from northeast Scotland enabled the screening of 14 restriction endonucleases with five HLA-D region probes (DP alpha, DP beta, DQ alpha, DQ beta, DR beta) and two T-cell antigen receptor probes. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms which discriminated between multiple sclerosis and control pools were identified with four restriction enzymes: Msp1 (DQ alpha), BamH1, Bgl11, and Taq1 (DQ beta). No discriminatory polymorphism was seen with any of the other enzyme/probe combinations. Subsequent Southern blot analysis of individual DNA samples was carried out using these enzymes and probes in two independently conducted studies, in Northern Ireland and northeast Scotland. Following Msp1-digestion and hybridization to DQ alpha, a 3.25-kb fragment was observed in 31% of Scottish patients but in only 4% of controls from the same population. Furthermore, when only DR2-positive individuals were analyzed, there was a significant excess of this fragment in patients from both Scotland (28, or 2.9%) and Northern Ireland (20, or 3.4%). Although the DQ alpha gene characterized by this fragment remains to be determined, this fragment exhibits apparent allelism to DQw1. Therefore, these data raise the possibility that two different DQ alleles, one on each haplotype, may jointly contribute to disease susceptibility.

Alleles↗

Allorecognition of DR1 by T cells from a DR4/DRw13 responder mimics self-restricted recognition of endogenous peptides.

Coculture of a series of anti-DR1Dw1 alloreactive human T-cell clones with autologous (DR4Dw4/DRw13Dw19) antigen-presenting cells and a series of recall antigens revealed that two of four clones tested proliferated in response to Candida albicans. One was restricted by DR4Dw4 and the other was restricted by DRw13Dw19. These results provide further evidence that many alloreactive T cells have a primary self-restricted specificity and cross-react on allogeneic major histocompatibility complex products. Structural comparison of the responder and stimulator DR molecules for these clones revealed that the regions predicted to contact the T cells' receptor, and thereby to determine self-restriction, are identical in sequence for DR4Dw4 and DR1Dw1 and differ by one residue between DRw13Dw19 and DR1Dw1. The DR beta residues that differ between responder, DR4Dw4 and DR13Dw19, and stimulator, DR1Dw1, are predicted to contribute to antigen binding. This implies that these anti-DR1 T cells may be specific for endogenous peptides that are bound by DR1 and not by the responder DR products, seen in a self-restricted manner. These T-cell clones also cross-reacted on DR4Dw13 and DRw14Dw16 molecules and on a human/murine hybrid class II dimer DR1 beta/I-E alpha. These reactions are discussed in terms of self-restricted peptide recognition. Thus these data suggest that in certain responder/stimulator combinations allorecognition may resemble self-restricted recognition of fragments of endogenous antigens that are bound by stimulator but not by responder major histocompatibility complex products.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Haplotypes and MS.

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HLA-DR2 Antigen↗

Prediction of graft versus host disease by frequency analysis of cytotoxic T cells after unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation.

HLA "matched" unrelated donor bone marrow transplants are associated with an increased incidence and severity of graft-versus-host disease in comparison with HLA-identical sibling transplants. This is presumably due to HLA and non-HLA histocompatibility differences between donor and recipient. Using a limiting dilution assay, we have previously demonstrated a relationship between cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursor frequency and HLA disparity. In this study we have compared CTL-p frequencies with clinical GVHD, and demonstrate for the first time a significant correlation (P less than 0.005) between high CTL precursor frequency prior to BMT and severity of acute GVHD after HLA A, B, DR "matched" unrelated donor transplants using T cell depleted marrow. This assay system may be of value in the final selection of HLA "matched" unrelated donors for BMT.

Anemia, Aplastic↗