A role for CD95 ligand in preventing graft rejection

Donald Bellgrau, Daniel Gold, Helena Selawry, Jodene Moore, Alex Franzusoff, Richard C. Duke

Full text: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/377630a0

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Abstract

Testis is a remarkable immune-privileged site, long known for its ability to support allogeneic and xenogeneic tissue transplants. Here we have investigated the molecular basis for testis immune privilege. Testis grafts derived from mice that can express functional CD95 (Fas or Apo-1) ligand survived indefinitely when transplanted under the kidney capsule of allogeneic animals, whereas testis grafts derived from mutant gld mice, which express non-functional ligand, were rejected. Further analysis of testis showed that CD95 ligand messenger RNA is constitutively expressed by testicular Sertoli cells, and that Sertoli cells from normal mice, but not gld mice, were accepted when transplanted into allogeneic recipients. CD95 ligand expression in the testis probably acts by inducing apoptotic cell death of CD95-expressing, recipient T cells activated in response to graft antigens. These findings indicate that CD95 ligand could be used to create immune-privileged tissue for a variety of transplant uses.

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Ratings & reviews

• A role for CD95 ligand in preventing graft rejection

  The results of this paper could not be reproduced

  Anonymous reviewer

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  As reported in [1, 2], the results of this paper could not be reproduced. David Vaux, one of the reviewers of this paper, and co-author of [1], subsequently retracted the News and Views paper in Nature where he introduced the paper by Bellgrau et al. See also the post by David Vaux on Retraction Watch about this paper.

   

  [1] Allison, J., Georgiou, H. M., Strasser, A., & Vaux, D. L. (1997). Transgenic expression of CD95 ligand on islet beta cells induces a granulocytic infiltration but does not confer immune privilege upon islet allografts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 94(8), 3943–3947.

  [2] Kang, S. - M., Schneider, D. B., Lin, Z., Hanahan, D., Dichek, D. A., Stock, P. G., & Baekkeskov, S. (1997). Fas ligand expression in islets of Langerhans does not confer immune privilege and instead targets them for rapid destruction. Nature Medicine, 3(7), 738–743. doi:10.1038/nm0797-738
• A role for CD95 ligand in preventing graft rejection

  Anonymous reviewer

  Anonymous

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