Alloantigen presenting capacity, T cell alloreactivity and NK function of G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood cells

Abstract

In this study we addressed whether the proportion and the function of antigen presenting cells (APC), T and NK lymphocytes are modified in the apheresis product of six healthy donors who received a stem cell mobilizing treatment with glycosylated G-CSF at 10 μg/kg/day × 5 days s.c. Flow cytometry analysis showed comparable percentages of HLA-DR⁺, CD19⁺, CD86⁺, CD80⁺ and CD1a⁺ cells in preG-CSF-peripheral blood mononuclear cells (preG-PBMC) and after mobilization in G-PBMC, whereas the proportion of CD14⁺ monocytes significantly increased in G-PBMC (3 ± 1% vs 17 ± 8%, P = 0.003). Analysis of lymphocyte subsets in preG-PBMC and G-PBMC showed similar proportions of CD3⁺, CD4⁺, CD8⁺ and CD28⁺ T cells, but a significantly lower percentage of CD16⁺ (11 ± 7% vs 4 ± 1%, P = 0.01), CD56⁺ (15 ± 6% vs 5 ± 2%, P = 0.008), CD57⁺ (16 ± 9% vs 5 ± 2%, P = 0.04), CD25⁺ (19 ± 2% vs 9 ± 6%, p = 0.009) and CD122⁺ (5 ± 2% vs 2 ± 1%, P = 0.05) cells in G-PBMC. Unfractionated preG-PBMC and G-PBMC were irradiated and tested in primary mixed leukocyte culture (MLC) with two HLA-incompatible responders and induced efficient alloresponses in four of six cases, whereas G-PBMC stimulated poorly in the remaining two cases. Also, in allo-MLC with irradiated G-PBMC we detected lower amounts of IFN-γ (P = 0.04) and of IL-2 (P = 0.06) than in allo-MLC with preG-PBMC. Furthermore, freshly isolated preG-PBMC and G-PBMC from each donor exerted comparable allogeneic responses to HLA-incompatible irradiated mononuclear cells in all cases. However, G-PBMC showed no NK activity against K562 target cells at any effector:target ratio tested. These data suggest that normal G-PBMC may prevent Th1 alloresponses, maintain efficient alloreactivity to HLA mismatched antigens and have impaired NK activity.