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The Molecular Microscope Diagnostic System: Assessment of Rejection and Injury in Heart Transplant Biopsies. Transplantation 2023; 107:27-44. [PMID: 36508644 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000004323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
This review describes the development of the Molecular Microscope Diagnostic System (MMDx) for heart transplant endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs). MMDx-Heart uses microarrays to measure biopsy-based gene expression and ensembles of machine learning algorithms to interpret the results and compare each new biopsy to a large reference set of earlier biopsies. MMDx assesses T cell-mediated rejection (TCMR), antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), recent parenchymal injury, and atrophy-fibrosis, continually "learning" from new biopsies. Rejection-associated transcripts mapped in kidney transplants and experimental systems were used to identify TCMR, AMR, and recent injury-induced inflammation. Rejection and injury emerged as gradients of intensity, rather than binary classes. AMR was one-third donor-specific antibody (DSA)-negative, and many EMBs first considered to have no rejection displayed minor AMR-like changes, with increased probability of DSA positivity and subtle inflammation. Rejection-associated transcript-based algorithms now classify EMBs as "Normal," "Minor AMR changes," "AMR," "possible AMR," "TCMR," "possible TCMR," and "recent injury." Additionally, MMDx uses injury-associated transcript sets to assess the degree of parenchymal injury and atrophy-fibrosis in every biopsy and study the effect of rejection on the parenchyma. TCMR directly injures the parenchyma whereas AMR usually induces microcirculation stress but relatively little initial parenchymal damage, although slowly inducing parenchymal atrophy-fibrosis. Function (left ventricular ejection fraction) and short-term risk of failure are strongly determined by parenchymal injury. These discoveries can guide molecular diagnostic applications, either as a central MMDx system or adapted to other platforms. MMDx can also help calibrate noninvasive blood-based biomarkers to avoid unnecessary biopsies and monitor response to therapy.
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Lee YH, Sato Y, Saito M, Fukuma S, Saito M, Yamamoto S, Komatsuda A, Fujiyama N, Satoh S, Lee SH, Boor P, Habuchi T, Floege J, Yanagita M. Advanced Tertiary Lymphoid Tissues in Protocol Biopsies are Associated with Progressive Graft Dysfunction in Kidney Transplant Recipients. J Am Soc Nephrol 2022; 33:186-200. [PMID: 34725107 PMCID: PMC8763171 DOI: 10.1681/asn.2021050715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tertiary lymphoid tissues (TLTs) are ectopic lymphoid tissues found in chronically inflamed organs. Although studies have documented TLT formation in transplanted kidneys, the clinical relevance of these TLTs remains controversial. We examined the effects of TLTs on future graft function using our histologic TLT maturity stages and the association between TLTs and Banff pathologic scores. We also analyzed the risk factors for the development of TLTs. METHODS Serial protocol biopsy samples (0 hour, 1, 6, and 12 months) without rejection were retrospectively analyzed from 214 patients who underwent living donor kidney transplantation. TLTs were defined as lymphocyte aggregates with signs of proliferation and their stages were determined by the absence (stage I) or presence (stage II) of follicular dendritic cells. RESULTS Only 4% of patients exhibited TLTs at the 0-hour biopsy. Prevalence increased to almost 50% at the 1-month biopsy, and then slightly further for 12 months. The proportion of advanced stage II TLTs increased gradually, reaching 19% at the 12-month biopsy. Presence of stage II TLTs was associated with higher risk of renal function decline after transplantation compared with patients with no TLT or stage I TLTs. Stage II TLTs were associated with more severe tubulitis and interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy at 12 months and predicted poorer graft function independently from the degree of interstitial inflammation. Pretransplantation rituximab treatment dramatically attenuated the development of stage II TLTs. CONCLUSIONS TLTs are commonly found in clinically stable transplanted kidneys. Advanced stage II TLTs are associated with progressive graft dysfunction, independent of interstitial inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Ho Lee
- Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan,Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Yuki Sato
- Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan,Medical Innovation Center TMK Project, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Saito
- Department of Urology, Graduate School of Medicine, Akita University, Akita, Japan
| | - Shingo Fukuma
- Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Masaya Saito
- Department of Hematology, Nephrology, and Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Akita University, Akita, Japan
| | - Shigenori Yamamoto
- Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan,Medical Innovation Center TMK Project, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Atsushi Komatsuda
- Department of Hematology, Nephrology, and Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Akita University, Akita, Japan
| | - Nobuhiro Fujiyama
- Center for Kidney Disease and Transplantation, Akita University Hospital, Akita, Japan
| | - Shigeru Satoh
- Center for Kidney Disease and Transplantation, Akita University Hospital, Akita, Japan
| | - Sang-Ho Lee
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Peter Boor
- Institute of Pathology, RWTH University of Aachen, Germany, Aachen, Germany,Division of Nephrology, RWTH University of Aachen, Germany, Aachen, Germany,Electron Microscopy Facility, RWTH University of Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Tomonori Habuchi
- Department of Urology, Graduate School of Medicine, Akita University, Akita, Japan
| | - Jürgen Floege
- Division of Nephrology, RWTH University of Aachen, Germany, Aachen, Germany
| | - Motoko Yanagita
- Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan,Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Abstract
Heart transplantation (HTx) remains the optimal treatment for selected patients with end-stage advanced heart failure. However, survival is limited early by acute rejection and long term by cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Even though the diagnosis of rejection is based on histology, cardiac imaging provides a pivotal role for early detection and severity assessment of these hazards. The present review focuses on the use and reliability of different invasive and non-invasive imaging modalities to detect and monitor CAV and rejection after HTx. Coronary angiography remains the corner stone in routine CAV surveillance. However, angiograms are invasive and underestimates the CAV severity especially in the early phase. Intravascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography are invasive methods for intracoronary imaging that detects early CAV lesions not evident by angiograms. Non-invasive imaging can be divided into myocardial perfusion imaging, anatomical/structural imaging and myocardial functional imaging. The different non-invasive imaging modalities all provide clinical and prognostic information and may have a gatekeeper role for invasive monitoring. Acute rejection and CAV are still significant clinical problems after HTx. No imaging modality provides complete information on graft function, coronary anatomy and myocardial perfusion. However, a combination of invasive and non-invasive modalities at different stages following HTx should be considered for optimal personalized surveillance and risk stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hans Eiskjær
- Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
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Cho H, Choi JO, Jeon ES, Kim JS. Quilty Lesions in the Endomyocardial Biopsies after Heart Transplantation. J Pathol Transl Med 2018; 53:50-56. [PMID: 30586951 PMCID: PMC6344801 DOI: 10.4132/jptm.2018.11.30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of Quilty lesions in endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs) of cardiac transplantation patients. METHODS A total of 1190EMBs from 117 cardiac transplantation patients were evaluated histologically for Quilty lesions,acute cellular rejection, and antibody-mediated rejection. Cardiac allograft vasculopathy wasdiagnosed by computed tomography coronary angiography. Clinical information, including thepatients' survival was retrieved by a review of medical records. RESULTS Eighty-eight patients(75.2%) were diagnosed with Quilty lesions, which were significantly associated with acute cellularrejection, but not with acute cellular rejection ≥ 2R or antibody-mediated rejection. In patientsdiagnosed with both Quilty lesions and acute cellular rejection, the time-to-onset of Quilty lesionsfrom transplantation was longer than that of acute cellular rejections. We found a significant associationbetween Quilty lesions and cardiac allograft vasculopathy. No significant relationship wasfound between Quilty lesions and the patients' survival. CONCLUSIONS Quilty lesion may be an indicator of previous acute cellular rejection rather than a predictor for future acute cellular rejection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haeyon Cho
- Department of Pathology and Translational Genomics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jin-Oh Choi
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Eun-Seok Jeon
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jung-Sun Kim
- Department of Pathology and Translational Genomics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, SAIHST, Seoul, Korea
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Koenig A, Thaunat O. Lymphoid Neogenesis and Tertiary Lymphoid Organs in Transplanted Organs. Front Immunol 2016; 7:646. [PMID: 28082981 PMCID: PMC5186756 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2016.00646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The progressive organization of immune effectors into functional ectopic lymphoid structures, named tertiary lymphoid organs (TLO), has been observed in many conditions in which target antigens fail to be eliminated by the immune system. Not surprisingly, TLO have been recurrently identified in chronically rejected allografts. Although significant progress has been made over the last decades in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in TLO development (a process named lymphoid neogenesis), the role of intragraft TLO (if any) in chronic rejection remains elusive. The prevailing dogma is that TLO contribute to graft rejection by generating and propagating local humoral and cellular alloimmune responses. However, TLO have been recently observed in long-term accepting allografts, suggesting that they might also be able to regulate alloimmune responses. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of how TLO are induced and propose a unified model in which TLO can play deleterious or regulatory roles and therefore actively modulate the kinetics of chronic rejection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Koenig
- Service de Transplantation, Néphrologie et Immunologie Clinique, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France; INSERM UMR1111, Lyon, France; Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Olivier Thaunat
- Service de Transplantation, Néphrologie et Immunologie Clinique, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France; INSERM UMR1111, Lyon, France; Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
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Mengel M, Sis B, Kim D, Chang J, Famulski KS, Hidalgo LG, Einecke G, de Freitas DG, Tymchak W, Burton J, Halloran PF. The molecular phenotype of heart transplant biopsies: relationship to histopathological and clinical variables. Am J Transplant 2010; 10:2105-15. [PMID: 20883545 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2010.03182.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Histopathology of endomyocardial biopsies (EMB) is the standard rejection surveillance for heart transplants. However, ISHLT consensus criteria for interpreting biopsies are arbitrarily defined. Gene expression offers an independent re-evaluation of existing diagnostic systems. We performed histologic and microarray analysis on 105 EMB from 45 heart allograft recipients. Histologic lesions, diagnosis and transcripts were compared to one another, time posttransplantation, indication for biopsy and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Histologic lesions presented in two groups: myocyte-interstitial and microcirculation lesions. Expression of transcript sets reflecting T cell and macrophage infiltration, and γ-interferon effects correlated strongly with each other and with transcripts indicating tissue/myocardium injury. This molecular phenotype correlated with Quilty (p < 0.005), microcirculation lesions (p < 0.05) and decreased LVEF (p < 0.007), but not with the histologic diagnosis of rejection. In multivariate analysis, LVEF was associated (p < 0.03) with γ-interferon inducible transcripts, time posttransplantation, ischemic injury and clinically indicated biopsies, but not the diagnosis of rejection. The results indicate that (a) the current ISHLT system for diagnosing rejection does not reflect the molecular phenotype in EMB and lacks clinical relevance; (b) the interpretation of Quilty lesions has to be revisited; (c) the assessment of molecules in heart biopsy can guide improvements of current diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Mengel
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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