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Hisadome Y, Eisenson DL, Santillan MR, Iwase H, Yamada K. Pretransplant Screening for Prevention of Hyperacute Graft Loss in Pig-to-primate Kidney Xenotransplantation. Transplantation 2024; 108:1749-1759. [PMID: 39042769 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000004958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Xenotransplantation using pig organs is now a clinical reality. However, the process for xenograft recipient screening lacks clarity and scientific rigor: no established thresholds exist to determine which levels of preformed antipig natural antibodies (Nabs) will be safe for clinical xenograft transplantation, and hyperacute rejection (HAR) or acute humoral xenograft rejection (AHXR), which still impacts pig-to-primate kidney xenograft survivals, may impede broader application of pig-to-human clinical xenograft transplantation. METHODS We retrospectively examined 28 cases of pig-to-baboon kidney xenotransplantation using GalTKO±human complement regulatory protein (hCRP)-transgenic (Tg) pig donors, as well as 6 cases of triple-KO multi-Tg (10GE) pig donors, and developed screening algorithms to predict risk of HAR/AHXR based on recipient antipig Nab levels. Preformed Nabs were evaluated using both complement-dependent cytotoxicity and antibody (IgM and IgG) binding flow-cytometry assays. RESULTS High complement-dependent cytotoxicity was associated with HAR/AHXR as expected. However, we also found that high levels of IgG were independently associated with HAR/AHXR, and we developed 2 indices to interpret and predict the risk of IgG-mediated HAR/AHXR. CONCLUSIONS Based on the data in this study, we have established a new 2-step screening, which will be used for future clinical kidney xenotransplantation trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Hisadome
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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Xu J, Ren J, Xu K, Fang M, Ka M, Xu F, Wang X, Wang J, Han Z, Feng G, Zhang Y, Hai T, Li W, Hu Z. Elimination of GGTA1, CMAH, β4GalNT2 and CIITA genes in pigs compromises human versus pig xenogeneic immune reactions. Animal Model Exp Med 2024. [PMID: 38962826 DOI: 10.1002/ame2.12461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pig organ xenotransplantation is a potential solution for the severe organ shortage in clinic, while immunogenic genes need to be eliminated to improve the immune compatibility between humans and pigs. Current knockout strategies are mainly aimed at the genes causing hyperacute immune rejection (HAR) that occurs in the first few hours while adaptive immune reactions orchestrated by CD4 T cell thereafter also cause graft failure, in which process the MHC II molecule plays critical roles. METHODS Thus, we generate a 4-gene (GGTA1, CMAH, β4GalNT2, and CIITA) knockout pig by CRISPR/Cas9 and somatic cell nuclear transfer to compromise HAR and CD4 T cell reactions simultaneously. RESULTS We successfully obtained 4KO piglets with deficiency in all alleles of genes, and at cellular and tissue levels. Additionally, the safety of our animals after gene editing was verified by using whole-genome sequencing and karyotyping. Piglets have survived for more than one year in the barrier, and also survived for more than 3 months in the conventional environment, suggesting that the piglets without MHC II can be raised in the barrier and then gradually mated in the conventional environment. CONCLUSIONS 4KO piglets have lower immunogenicity, are safe in genomic level, and are easier to breed than the model with both MHC I and II deletion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jilong Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Kai Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Minghui Fang
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of the Ministry of Education, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Meina Ka
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Xu
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of the Ministry of Education, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiqiang Han
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guihai Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Tang Hai
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Beijing Farm Animal Research Center, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Zheng Hu
- Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of the Ministry of Education, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
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Thom J, Roters N, Schuemann S, Andrée B, Buettner FFR, Hilfiker A, Goecke T, Ramm R. Reduction in Xenogeneic Epitopes on Porcine Endothelial Cells by Periodate Oxidation. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1470. [PMID: 39062043 PMCID: PMC11275244 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12071470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2024] [Revised: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patterns of humoral immune responses represent a major hurdle in terms of pig-to-human xenotransplantation approaches. The best-known xenogeneic glycan antigens present in pigs are the αGal (Galili antigen) and the non-human sialic acid Neu5Gc. As there are further differences between porcine and human cellular surface glycosylation, a much broader range of glycan epitopes with xeno-reactive relevance can be anticipated. Therefore, we set out to chemically modify porcine cellular surface glycans in a global approach by applying sodium periodate (NaIO4) oxidation. METHODS Porcine endothelial cells were exposed to oxidation with 1 to 5 mM NaIO4 for different time periods at 37 °C or 4 °C and under static or dynamic conditions. The impact on cellular survival was determined by applying live/dead assays. Oxidation of αGal-epitopes was assessed by fluorescence microscopy-based quantification of isolectin-B4 (IL-B4) staining. Overall immunogenicity of porcine cells was determined by human serum antibody binding. RESULTS Treatment of porcine endothelial cells and tissues with NaIO4 led to reduced binding of the αGal-specific IL-B4 and/or human serum antibodies. NaIO4 was revealed to be cytotoxic when performed at elevated temperatures and for a prolonged time. However, by applying 2 mM NaIO4 for 60 min at 4 °C, a high extent of cellular viability and a relevant reduction in detectable αGal epitope were observed. No differences were detected irrespectively on whether the cells were oxidized under static or flow conditions. CONCLUSIONS Glycan epitopes on living cells can be oxidized with NaIO4 while maintaining their viability. Accordingly, this strategy holds promise to prevent immune reactions mediated by preformed anti-glycan antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Thom
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Nathalie Roters
- Lower Saxony Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development, 30625 Hannover, Germany (T.G.)
| | - Slavica Schuemann
- Lower Saxony Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development, 30625 Hannover, Germany (T.G.)
- Department of Cardiac-, Thoracic-, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Birgit Andrée
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- Department of Cardiac-, Thoracic-, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Falk F. R. Buettner
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- Proteomics, Institute of Theoretical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, 86159 Augsburg, Germany
| | - Andres Hilfiker
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- Lower Saxony Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development, 30625 Hannover, Germany (T.G.)
| | - Tobias Goecke
- Lower Saxony Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development, 30625 Hannover, Germany (T.G.)
- Department of Cardiac-, Thoracic-, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- Biomedical Research in End Stage and Obstructive Lung Disease Hannover (BREATH), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Robert Ramm
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- Lower Saxony Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development, 30625 Hannover, Germany (T.G.)
- Department of Cardiac-, Thoracic-, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- Biomedical Research in End Stage and Obstructive Lung Disease Hannover (BREATH), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), 30625 Hannover, Germany
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Meyerholz DK, Burrough ER, Kirchhof N, Anderson DJ, Helke KL. Swine models in translational research and medicine. Vet Pathol 2024; 61:512-523. [PMID: 38197394 DOI: 10.1177/03009858231222235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Swine are increasingly studied as animal models of human disease. The anatomy, size, longevity, physiology, immune system, and metabolism of swine are more like humans than traditional rodent models. In addition, the size of swine is preferred for surgical placement and testing of medical devices destined for humans. These features make swine useful for biomedical, pharmacological, and toxicological research. With recent advances in gene-editing technologies, genetic modifications can readily and efficiently be made in swine to study genetic disorders. In addition, gene-edited swine tissues are necessary for studies testing and validating xenotransplantation into humans to meet the critical shortfall of viable organs versus need. Underlying all of these biomedical applications, the knowledge of husbandry, background diseases and lesions, and biosecurity needs are important for productive, efficient, and reproducible research when using swine as a human disease model for basic research, preclinical testing, and translational studies.
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Peterson L, Yacoub MH, Ayares D, Yamada K, Eisenson D, Griffith BP, Mohiuddin MM, Eyestone W, Venter JC, Smolenski RT, Rothblatt M. Physiological basis for xenotransplantation from genetically modified pigs to humans. Physiol Rev 2024; 104:1409-1459. [PMID: 38517040 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00041.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The collective efforts of scientists over multiple decades have led to advancements in molecular and cellular biology-based technologies including genetic engineering and animal cloning that are now being harnessed to enhance the suitability of pig organs for xenotransplantation into humans. Using organs sourced from pigs with multiple gene deletions and human transgene insertions, investigators have overcome formidable immunological and physiological barriers in pig-to-nonhuman primate (NHP) xenotransplantation and achieved prolonged pig xenograft survival. These studies informed the design of Revivicor's (Revivicor Inc, Blacksburg, VA) genetically engineered pigs with 10 genetic modifications (10 GE) (including the inactivation of 4 endogenous porcine genes and insertion of 6 human transgenes), whose hearts and kidneys have now been studied in preclinical human xenotransplantation models with brain-dead recipients. Additionally, the first two clinical cases of pig-to-human heart xenotransplantation were recently performed with hearts from this 10 GE pig at the University of Maryland. Although this review focuses on xenotransplantation of hearts and kidneys, multiple organs, tissues, and cell types from genetically engineered pigs will provide much-needed therapeutic interventions in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh Peterson
- United Therapeutics Corporation, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
| | | | - David Ayares
- United Therapeutics Corporation, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
| | - Kazuhiko Yamada
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
| | - Daniel Eisenson
- Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
| | - Bartley P Griffith
- University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
| | | | - Willard Eyestone
- United Therapeutics Corporation, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
| | - J Craig Venter
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland, United States
| | | | - Martine Rothblatt
- United Therapeutics Corporation, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
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Ladowski JM, Chapman H, DeLaura I, Anwar IJ, Yoon J, Chen Z, Clark A, Chen D, Knechtle S, Jackson A, Rogers B, Kwun J. Allosensitisation in NHP results in cross-reactive anti-SLA antibodies not detected by a lymphocyte-based flow cytometry crossmatch. HLA 2024; 104:e15599. [PMID: 39041289 PMCID: PMC11268796 DOI: 10.1111/tan.15599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Xenotransplantation is a potential option for individuals for whom an acceptable human allograft is unavailable. Individuals with broadly reactive HLA antibodies due to prior exposure to foreign HLA are potential candidates for a clinical xenotransplant trial. It remains controversial if allosensitisation results in the development of cross-reactive antibodies against SLA. This may require increased histocompatibility scrutiny for highly sensitised individuals prior to enrollment in a clinical trial. Serum samples were obtained from non-human primates sensitised via serial skin transplantation from maximally MHC-mismatched donor, as reported. Sera from pre- and post-allosensitisation timepoints were assessed in a flow crossmatch (FXM) for IgM and IgG binding to pig splenocytes with or without red blood cell adsorption. Xenoreactive antibodies were eluted from pig splenocytes and screened on a single antigen HLA bead assay. A MHC Matchmaker algorithm was developed to predict potential conserved amino acid motifs among the pig, NHP, and human. Our sensitised NHP model was used to demonstrate that allosensitisation does not result in an appreciable difference in xenoreactive antibody binding in a cell-based FXM. However, antibody elution and screening on single antigen HLA beads suggest the existence of potential cross-reactive antibodies against SLA. The cross-reactive IgG after allosensitisation were predicted by comparing the recipient Mamu alleles against its previous allograft donor Mamu alleles and the donor pig SLA alleles. Our study suggests that allosensitisation could elevate cross-reactive antibodies, but a more sensitive assay than a cell-based FXM is required to detect them. The MHC Matchmaker algorithm was developed as a potential tool to help determine amino acid motif conservation and reactivity pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M. Ladowski
- Duke Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - Henry Chapman
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - Isabel DeLaura
- Duke Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - Imran J. Anwar
- Duke Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - Janghoon Yoon
- Duke Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - Zheng Chen
- Duke Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - Adella Clark
- Clinical Transplantation Immunology Laboratory, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - DongFeng Chen
- Clinical Transplantation Immunology Laboratory, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - Stuart Knechtle
- Duke Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - Annette Jackson
- Duke Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
- Clinical Transplantation Immunology Laboratory, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - Bruce Rogers
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - Jean Kwun
- Duke Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
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Grimus S, Sarangova V, Welzel PB, Ludwig B, Seissler J, Kemter E, Wolf E, Ali A. Immunoprotection Strategies in β-Cell Replacement Therapy: A Closer Look at Porcine Islet Xenotransplantation. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024:e2401385. [PMID: 38884159 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202401385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is characterized by absolute insulin deficiency primarily due to autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β-cells. The prevailing treatment for T1DM involves daily subcutaneous insulin injections, but a substantial proportion of patients face challenges such as severe hypoglycemic episodes and poorly controlled hyperglycemia. For T1DM patients, a more effective therapeutic option involves the replacement of β-cells through allogeneic transplantation of either the entire pancreas or isolated pancreatic islets. Unfortunately, the scarcity of transplantable human organs has led to a growing list of patients waiting for an islet transplant. One potential alternative is xenotransplantation of porcine pancreatic islets. However, due to inter-species molecular incompatibilities, porcine tissues trigger a robust immune response in humans, leading to xenograft rejection. Several promising strategies aim to overcome this challenge and enhance the long-term survival and functionality of xenogeneic islet grafts. These strategies include the use of islets derived from genetically modified pigs, immunoisolation of islets by encapsulation in biocompatible materials, and the creation of an immunomodulatory microenvironment by co-transplanting islets with accessory cells or utilizing immunomodulatory biomaterials. This review concentrates on delineating the primary obstacles in islet xenotransplantation and elucidates the fundamental principles and recent breakthroughs aimed at addressing these challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Grimus
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, D-81377, Munich, Germany
- Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, D-85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modelling and Clinical Transfer (ICONLMU), LMU Munich, D-81377, Munich, Germany
| | - Victoria Sarangova
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials Dresden, D-01069, Dresden, Germany
| | - Petra B Welzel
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials Dresden, D-01069, Dresden, Germany
| | - Barbara Ludwig
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01307, Dresden, Germany
- Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus and Faculty of Medicine of the Technische Universität Dresden, D-01307, Dresden, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), D-85764, Neuherberg, Germany
- DFG-Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jochen Seissler
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Diabetes Zentrum - Campus Innenstadt, Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Kemter
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, D-81377, Munich, Germany
- Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, D-85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modelling and Clinical Transfer (ICONLMU), LMU Munich, D-81377, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), D-85764, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Eckhard Wolf
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, D-81377, Munich, Germany
- Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, D-85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modelling and Clinical Transfer (ICONLMU), LMU Munich, D-81377, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), D-85764, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Asghar Ali
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, D-81377, Munich, Germany
- Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, D-85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modelling and Clinical Transfer (ICONLMU), LMU Munich, D-81377, Munich, Germany
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Schmoeckel M, Längin M, Reichart B, Abicht JM, Bender M, Michel S, Kamla CE, Denner J, Tönjes RR, Schwinzer R, Marckmann G, Wolf E, Brenner P, Hagl C. Current Status of Cardiac Xenotransplantation: Report of a Workshop of the German Heart Transplant Centers, Martinsried, March 3, 2023. Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2024; 72:273-284. [PMID: 38154473 PMCID: PMC11147670 DOI: 10.1055/a-2235-8854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
This report comprises the contents of the presentations and following discussions of a workshop of the German Heart Transplant Centers in Martinsried, Germany on cardiac xenotransplantation. The production and current availability of genetically modified donor pigs, preservation techniques during organ harvesting, and immunosuppressive regimens in the recipient are described. Selection criteria for suitable patients and possible solutions to the problem of overgrowth of the xenotransplant are discussed. Obviously microbiological safety for the recipient and close contacts is essential, and ethical considerations to gain public acceptance for clinical applications are addressed. The first clinical trial will be regulated and supervised by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute as the National Competent Authority for Germany, and the German Heart Transplant Centers agreed to cooperatively select the first patients for cardiac xenotransplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Schmoeckel
- Herzchirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik, LMU Klinikum, LMU München, Germany
| | - Matthias Längin
- Klinik für Anaesthesiologie, LMU Klinikum, LMU München, Germany
- DFG-Transregio-Sonderforschungsbereich TR127—Xenotransplantation, Walter-Brendel-Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin, LMU München, Germany
| | - Bruno Reichart
- DFG-Transregio-Sonderforschungsbereich TR127—Xenotransplantation, Walter-Brendel-Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin, LMU München, Germany
| | - Jan-Michael Abicht
- Klinik für Anaesthesiologie, LMU Klinikum, LMU München, Germany
- DFG-Transregio-Sonderforschungsbereich TR127—Xenotransplantation, Walter-Brendel-Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin, LMU München, Germany
| | - Martin Bender
- Klinik für Anaesthesiologie, LMU Klinikum, LMU München, Germany
- DFG-Transregio-Sonderforschungsbereich TR127—Xenotransplantation, Walter-Brendel-Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin, LMU München, Germany
| | - Sebastian Michel
- Herzchirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik, LMU Klinikum, LMU München, Germany
- DFG-Transregio-Sonderforschungsbereich TR127—Xenotransplantation, Walter-Brendel-Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin, LMU München, Germany
| | | | - Joachim Denner
- DFG-Transregio-Sonderforschungsbereich TR127—Xenotransplantation, Walter-Brendel-Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin, LMU München, Germany
- Institut für Virologie, Fachbereich für Veterinärmedizin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ralf Reinhard Tönjes
- DFG-Transregio-Sonderforschungsbereich TR127—Xenotransplantation, Walter-Brendel-Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin, LMU München, Germany
- Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany
| | - Reinhard Schwinzer
- DFG-Transregio-Sonderforschungsbereich TR127—Xenotransplantation, Walter-Brendel-Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin, LMU München, Germany
- Klinik für Allgemein-, Viszeral- und Transplantationschirurgie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Georg Marckmann
- DFG-Transregio-Sonderforschungsbereich TR127—Xenotransplantation, Walter-Brendel-Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin, LMU München, Germany
- Institut für Ethik, Geschichte und Theorie der Medizin, LMU München, Germany
| | - Eckhard Wolf
- DFG-Transregio-Sonderforschungsbereich TR127—Xenotransplantation, Walter-Brendel-Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin, LMU München, Germany
- Lehrstuhl für Molekulare Tierzucht und Biotechnologie, Genzentrum der LMU München, Germany
| | - Paolo Brenner
- Herzchirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik, LMU Klinikum, LMU München, Germany
- DFG-Transregio-Sonderforschungsbereich TR127—Xenotransplantation, Walter-Brendel-Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin, LMU München, Germany
| | - Christian Hagl
- Herzchirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik, LMU Klinikum, LMU München, Germany
- DZHK (Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung e.V.), Partner Site Munich, Germany
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Vadori M, Cozzi E. Current challenges in xenotransplantation. Curr Opin Organ Transplant 2024; 29:205-211. [PMID: 38529696 PMCID: PMC11064916 DOI: 10.1097/mot.0000000000001146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW In recent years, the xenotransplantation science has advanced tremendously, with significant strides in both preclinical and clinical research. This review intends to describe the latest cutting-edge progress in knowledge and methodologies developed to overcome potential obstacles that may preclude the translation and successful application of clinical xenotransplantation. RECENT FINDINGS Preclinical studies have demonstrated that it is now possible to extend beyond two years survival of primate recipients of life saving xenografts. This has been accomplished thanks to the utilization of genetic engineering methodologies that have allowed the generation of specifically designed gene-edited pigs, a careful donor and recipient selection, and appropriate immunosuppressive strategies.In this light, the compassionate use of genetically modified pig hearts has been authorized in two human recipients and xenotransplants have also been achieved in human decedents. Although encouraging the preliminary results suggest that several challenges have yet to be fully addressed for a successful clinical translation of xenotransplantation. These challenges include immunologic, physiologic and biosafety aspects. SUMMARY Recent progress has paved the way for the initial compassionate use of pig organs in humans and sets the scene for a wider application of clinical xenotransplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Vadori
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua
| | - Emanuele Cozzi
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua
- Transplant Immunology Unit, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health Padua University Hospital, Padua, Italy
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10
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Reyes L, Wang ZY, Estrada J, Burlak C, Gennuso VN, Ho S, Tector M, Tector AJ. Non-Classical Swine Leukocyte Antigens SLA-6, -7, and -8, Are Xenoantigens for Some Waitlisted Patients. Xenotransplantation 2024; 31:e12872. [PMID: 38924560 DOI: 10.1111/xen.12872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Attack of donor tissues by pre-formed anti-pig antibodies is well known to cause graft failure in xenotransplantation. Genetic engineering of porcine donors to eliminate targets of these pre-formed antibodies coupled with advances in immunosuppressive medicines have now made it possible to achieve extended survival in the pre-clinical pig-to-non-human primate model. Despite these improvements, antibodies remain a risk over the lifetime of the transplant, and many patients continue to have pre-formed donor-specific antibodies even to highly engineered pigs. While therapeutics exist that can help mitigate the detrimental effects of antibodies, they act broadly potentially dampening beneficial immunity. Identifying additional xenoantigens may enable more targeted approaches, such as gene editing, to overcome these challenges by further eliminating antibody targets on donor tissue. Because we have found that classical class I swine leukocyte antigens are targets of human antibodies, we now examine whether related pig proteins may also be targeted by human antibodies. We show here that non-classical class I swine leukocyte proteins (SLA-6, -7, -8) can be expressed at the surface of mammalian cells and act as antibody targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luz Reyes
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Zheng-Yu Wang
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Jose Estrada
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Christopher Burlak
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | | | - Sam Ho
- Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network, Itasca, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Alfred Joseph Tector
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
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11
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Ladowski JM, Tector M, Martens G, Wang ZY, Burlak C, Reyes L, Estrada J, Adams A, Tector AJ. Late graft failure of pig-to-rhesus renal xenografts has features of glomerulopathy and recipients have anti-swine leukocyte antigen class I and class II antibodies. Xenotransplantation 2024; 31:e12862. [PMID: 38761019 PMCID: PMC11104517 DOI: 10.1111/xen.12862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Prolonged survival in preclinical renal xenotransplantation demonstrates that early antibody mediated rejection (AMR) can be overcome. It is now critical to evaluate and understand the pathobiology of late graft failure and devise new means to improve post xenograft outcomes. In renal allotransplantation the most common cause of late renal graft failure is transplant glomerulopathy-largely due to anti-donor MHC antibodies, particularly anti-HLA DQ antibodies. We evaluated the pig renal xenograft pathology of four long-surviving (>300 days) rhesus monkeys. We also evaluated the terminal serum for the presence of anti-SLA class I and specifically anti-SLA DQ antibodies. All four recipients had transplant glomerulopathy and expressed anti-SLA DQ antibodies. In one recipient tested for anti-SLA I antibodies, the recipient had antibodies specifically reacting with two of three SLA I alleles tested. These results suggest that similar to allotransplantation, anti-MHC antibodies, particularly anti-SLA DQ, may be a barrier to improved long-term xenograft outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gregory Martens
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis MO
| | - Zheng Yu Wang
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL
| | - Chris Burlak
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL
| | - Luz Reyes
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL
| | - Jose Estrada
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL
| | - Andrew Adams
- Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN
| | - A. Joseph Tector
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL
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12
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Byrne GW, McGregor CGA. Anti-pig antibodies in swine veterinarian serum: Implications for clinical xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation 2024; 31:e12865. [PMID: 38853364 DOI: 10.1111/xen.12865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Recent clinical xenotransplantation and human decedent studies demonstrate that clinical hyperacute rejection of genetically engineered porcine organs can be reliably avoided but that antibody mediated rejection (AMR) continues to limit graft survival. We previously identified porcine glycans and proteins which are immunogenic after cardiac xenotransplantation in non-human primates, but the clinical immune response to antigens present in glycan depleted triple knockout (TKO) donor pigs is poorly understood. In this study we use fluorescence barcoded human embryonic kidney cells (HEK) and HEK cell lines expressing porcine glycans (Gal and SDa) or proteins (tetraspanin-29 [CD9], membrane cofactor protein [CD46], protectin, membrane attack complex inhibition factor [CD59], endothelial cell protein C receptor, and Annexin A2) to screen antibody reactivity in human serum from 160 swine veterinarians, a serum source with potential occupational immune challenge from porcine tissues and pathogens. High levels of anti-Gal IgM were present in all samples and lower levels of anti-SDa IgM were present in 41% of samples. IgM binding to porcine proteins, primarily CD9 and CD46, previously identified as immunogenic in pig to non-human primate cardiac xenograft recipients, was detected in 28 of the 160 swine veterinarian samples. These results suggest that barcoded HEK cell lines expressing porcine protein antigens can be useful for screening human patient serum. A comprehensive analysis of sera from clinical xenotransplant recipients to define a panel of commonly immunogenic porcine antigens will likely be necessary to establish an array of porcine non-Gal antigens for effective monitoring of patient immune responses and allow earlier therapies to reverse AMR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guerard W Byrne
- Twin Cities, Department of Surgery, Experimental Surgical Services, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Christopher G A McGregor
- Twin Cities, Department of Surgery, Experimental Surgical Services, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University College London, London, UK
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13
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Cheung MD, Asiimwe R, Erman EN, Fucile CF, Liu S, Sun CW, Hanumanthu VS, Pal HC, Wright ED, Ghajar-Rahimi G, Epstein D, Orandi BJ, Kumar V, Anderson DJ, Greene ME, Bell M, Yates S, Moore KH, LaFontaine J, Killian JT, Baker G, Perry J, Khan Z, Reed R, Little SC, Rosenberg AF, George JF, Locke JE, Porrett PM. Spatiotemporal immune atlas of a clinical-grade gene-edited pig-to-human kidney xenotransplant. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3140. [PMID: 38605083 PMCID: PMC11009229 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47454-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Pig-to-human xenotransplantation is rapidly approaching the clinical arena; however, it is unclear which immunomodulatory regimens will effectively control human immune responses to pig xenografts. Here, we transplant a gene-edited pig kidney into a brain-dead human recipient on pharmacologic immunosuppression and study the human immune response to the xenograft using spatial transcriptomics and single-cell RNA sequencing. Human immune cells are uncommon in the porcine kidney cortex early after xenotransplantation and consist of primarily myeloid cells. Both the porcine resident macrophages and human infiltrating macrophages express genes consistent with an alternatively activated, anti-inflammatory phenotype. No significant infiltration of human B or T cells into the porcine kidney xenograft is detectable. Altogether, these findings provide proof of concept that conventional pharmacologic immunosuppression may be able to restrict infiltration of human immune cells into the xenograft early after compatible pig-to-human kidney xenotransplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Cheung
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Rebecca Asiimwe
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Elise N Erman
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - Shanrun Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Flow Cytometry & Single Cell Core Facility, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Chiao-Wang Sun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Flow Cytometry & Single Cell Core Facility, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Vidya Sagar Hanumanthu
- Flow Cytometry & Single Cell Core Facility, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Harish C Pal
- Flow Cytometry & Single Cell Core Facility, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Emma D Wright
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - Daniel Epstein
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Babak J Orandi
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Vineeta Kumar
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Douglas J Anderson
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Morgan E Greene
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Markayla Bell
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Stefani Yates
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Kyle H Moore
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jennifer LaFontaine
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - John T Killian
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Gavin Baker
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jackson Perry
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Zayd Khan
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Rhiannon Reed
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Shawn C Little
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Alexander F Rosenberg
- Informatics Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - James F George
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jayme E Locke
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Paige M Porrett
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
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14
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Raza SS, Hara H, Eyestone W, Ayares D, Cleveland DC, Cooper DKC. Pigs in Transplantation Research and Their Potential as Sources of Organs in Clinical Xenotransplantation. Comp Med 2024; 74:33-48. [PMID: 38359908 PMCID: PMC11078278 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-cm-23-000030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The pig has long been used as a research animal and has now gained importance as a potential source of organs for clinical xenotransplantation. When an organ from a wild-type (i. e., genetically unmodified) pig is transplanted into an immunosuppressed nonhuman primate, a vigorous host immune response causes hyperacute rejection (within minutes or hours). This response has been largely overcome by 1) extensive gene editing of the organ-source pig and 2) the administration to the recipient of novel immunosuppressive therapy based on blockade of the CD40/CD154 T cell costimulation pathway. Gene editing has consisted of 1) deletion of expression of the 3 known carbohydrate xenoantigens against which humans have natural (preformed) antibodies and 2) the introduction of human 'protective' genes. The combination of gene editing and novel immunosuppressive therapy has extended life-supporting pig kidney graft survival to greater than 1 y and of pig heart survival to up to 9 mo. This review briefly describes the techniques of gene editing, the potential risks of transfer of porcine endogenous retroviruses with the organ, and the need for breeding and housing of donor pigs under biosecure conditions.
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Key Words
- crp, complement-regulatory protein
- epcr, endothelial protein c receptor
- gal, galactose-α1,3-galactose
- gtko, α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene-knockout
- herv, human endogenous retrovirus
- neu5gc, n-glycolylneuraminic acid
- nhp, nonhuman primates
- perv, porcine endogenous retrovirus
- tko, triple knockout
- wt, wild-type
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Affiliation(s)
- S Sikandar Raza
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Hidetaka Hara
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | | | | | - David C Cleveland
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - David K C Cooper
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts;,
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15
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Briski O, La Motta GE, Ratner LD, Allegroni FA, Pillado S, Álvarez G, Gutierrez B, Tarragona L, Zaccagnini A, Acerbo M, Ciampi C, Fernández-Martin R, Salamone DF. Comparison of ICSI, IVF, and in vivo derived embryos to produce CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited pigs for xenotransplantation. Theriogenology 2024; 220:43-55. [PMID: 38471390 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2024.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Genome editing in pigs for xenotransplantation has seen significant advances in recent years. This study compared three methodologies to generate gene-edited embryos, including co-injection of sperm together with the CRISPR-Cas9 system into oocytes, named ICSI-MGE (mediated gene editing); microinjection of CRISPR-Cas9 components into oocytes followed by in vitro fertilization (IVF), and microinjection of in vivo fertilized zygotes with the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Our goal was to knock-out (KO) porcine genes involved in the biosynthesis of xenoantigens responsible for the hyperacute rejection of interspecific xenografts, namely GGTA1, CMAH, and β4GalNT2. Additionally, we attempted to KO the growth hormone receptor (GHR) gene with the aim of limiting the growth of porcine organs to a size that is physiologically suitable for human transplantation. Embryo development, pregnancy, and gene editing rates were evaluated. We found an efficient mutation of the GGTA1 gene following ICSI-MGE, comparable to the results obtained through the microinjection of oocytes followed by IVF. ICSI-MGE also showed higher rates of biallelic mutations compared to the other techniques. Five healthy piglets were born from in vivo-derived embryos, all of them exhibiting biallelic mutations in the GGTA1 gene, with three displaying mutations in the GHR gene. No mutations were observed in the CMAH and β4GalNT2 genes. In conclusion, in vitro methodologies showed high rates of gene-edited embryos. Specifically, ICSI-MGE proved to be an efficient technique for obtaining homozygous biallelic mutated embryos. Lastly, only live births were obtained from in vivo-derived embryos showing efficient multiple gene editing for GGTA1 and GHR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olinda Briski
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires - Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Animal (INPA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1425FQB, Argentina; Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Gastón Emilio La Motta
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires - Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Animal (INPA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1425FQB, Argentina
| | - Laura Daniela Ratner
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires - Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Animal (INPA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1425FQB, Argentina; Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Federico Andrés Allegroni
- Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Santiago Pillado
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Guadalupe Álvarez
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Betiana Gutierrez
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Lisa Tarragona
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Andrea Zaccagnini
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Marcelo Acerbo
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Carla Ciampi
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires - Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Animal (INPA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1425FQB, Argentina; Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Rafael Fernández-Martin
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires - Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Animal (INPA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1425FQB, Argentina; Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina.
| | - Daniel Felipe Salamone
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires - Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Animal (INPA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1425FQB, Argentina; Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina.
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16
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Cooper DKC, Mou L, Bottino R. A brief review of the current status of pig islet xenotransplantation. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1366530. [PMID: 38464515 PMCID: PMC10920266 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1366530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
An estimated 1.5 million Americans suffer from Type I diabetes mellitus, and its incidence is increasing worldwide. Islet allotransplantation offers a treatment, but the availability of deceased human donor pancreases is limited. The transplantation of islets from gene-edited pigs, if successful, would resolve this problem. Pigs are now available in which the expression of the three known xenoantigens against which humans have natural (preformed) antibodies has been deleted, and in which several human 'protective' genes have been introduced. The transplantation of neonatal pig islets has some advantages over that of adult pig islets. Transplantation into the portal vein of the recipient results in loss of many islets from the instant blood-mediated inflammatory reaction (IBMIR) and so the search for an alternative site continues. The adaptive immune response can be largely suppressed by an immunosuppressive regimen based on blockade of the CD40/CD154 T cell co-stimulation pathway, whereas conventional therapy (e.g., based on tacrolimus) is less successful. We suggest that, despite the need for effective immunosuppressive therapy, the transplantation of 'free' islets will prove more successful than that of encapsulated islets. There are data to suggest that, in the absence of rejection, the function of pig islets, though less efficient than human islets, will be sufficient to maintain normoglycemia in diabetic recipients. Pig islets transplanted into immunosuppressed nonhuman primates have maintained normoglycemia for periods extending more than two years, illustrating the potential of this novel form of therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- David K. C. Cooper
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lisha Mou
- Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- MetaLife Center, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Rita Bottino
- Imagine Islet Center, Imagine Pharma, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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17
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Ali A, Kemter E, Wolf E. Advances in Organ and Tissue Xenotransplantation. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2024; 12:369-390. [PMID: 37906838 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-021122-102606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
End-stage organ failure can result from various preexisting conditions and occurs in patients of all ages, and organ transplantation remains its only treatment. In recent years, extensive research has been done to explore the possibility of transplanting animal organs into humans, a process referred to as xenotransplantation. Due to their matching organ sizes and other anatomical and physiological similarities with humans, pigs are the preferred organ donor species. Organ rejection due to host immune response and possible interspecies infectious pathogen transmission have been the biggest hurdles to xenotransplantation's success. Use of genetically engineered pigs as tissue and organ donors for xenotransplantation has helped to address these hurdles. Although several preclinical trials have been conducted in nonhuman primates, some barriers still exist and demand further efforts. This review focuses on the recent advances and remaining challenges in organ and tissue xenotransplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asghar Ali
- Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; , ,
- Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modelling and Clinical Transfer (ICONLMU), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Kemter
- Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; , ,
- Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modelling and Clinical Transfer (ICONLMU), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Eckhard Wolf
- Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; , ,
- Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modelling and Clinical Transfer (ICONLMU), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
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18
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Saharia KK, Hall VG, Chesdachai S, Porrett P, Fishman JA, Pouch SM. Heart of the matter-infection and xenotransplantation. Transpl Infect Dis 2024; 26:e14206. [PMID: 38055610 DOI: 10.1111/tid.14206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
In this clinicopathological conference, invited experts discussed a previously published case of a patient with nonischemic cardiomyopathy who underwent heart transplantation from a genetically modified pig source animal. His complex course included detection of porcine cytomegalovirus by plasma microbial cell-free DNA and eventual xenograft failure. The objectives of the session included discussion of selection of immunosuppressive regimens and prophylactic antimicrobials for human xenograft recipients, description of infectious disease risk assessment and mitigation in potential xenograft donors and understanding of screening and therapeutic strategies for potential xenograft-related infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kapil K Saharia
- Institute of Human Virology, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Victoria G Hall
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Supavit Chesdachai
- Division of Public Health, Infectious Diseases and Occupational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Paige Porrett
- University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Jay A Fishman
- Transplant Infectious Disease and Compromised Host Program, MGH Transplant Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Stephanie M Pouch
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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19
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Xu H, He X. Developments in kidney xenotransplantation. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1242478. [PMID: 38274798 PMCID: PMC10808336 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1242478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The search for kidney xenografts that are appropriate for patients with end-stage renal disease has been ongoing since the beginning of the last century. The major cause of xenograft loss is hyperacute and acute rejection, and this has almost been overcome via scientific progress. The success of two pre-clinical trials of α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene-knockout porcine kidneys in brain-dead patients in 2021 triggered research enthusiasm for kidney xenotransplantation. This minireview summarizes key issues from an immunological perspective: the discovery of key xenoantigens, investigations into key co-stimulatory signal inhibition, gene-editing technology, and immune tolerance induction. Further developments in immunology, particularly immunometabolism, might help promote the long-term outcomes of kidney xenografts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xiaozhou He
- Urology Department, Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, China
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20
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Thom R, Ayares D, Cooper DKC, Dark J, Fovargue S, Fox M, Gusmano M, Locke J, McGregor C, Parent B, Ravanan R, Shaw D, Dorling A, Cronin AJ. Update on the ethical, legal and technical challenges of translating xenotransplantation. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2023:jme-2023-109298. [PMID: 37949649 DOI: 10.1136/jme-2023-109298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
This manuscript reports on a landmark symposium on the ethical, legal and technical challenges of xenotransplantation in the UK. King's College London, with endorsement from the British Transplantation Society (BTS), and the European Society of Organ Transplantation (ESOT), brought together a group of experts in xenotransplantation science, ethics and law to discuss the ethical, regulatory and technical challenges surrounding translating xenotransplantation into the clinical setting. The symposium was the first of its kind in the UK for 20 years. This paper summarises the content of the expert lectures showcasing the progress which has been made in xenotransplantation including-the history of xenotransplantation, advances in gene edited animals and progress towards clinical xenotransplantation. We then set out the ethical and legal issues still to be resolved. Finally, we report the themes of the roundtable discussion highlighting areas of consensus and controversy. While the detail of the legal discussion was directed towards the UK, the principles and summary reported here are intended to be applicable to any jurisdiction seeking to implement clinical xenotransplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Thom
- Department of Nephrology and Transplantation, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals NHS Trust, London, UK
| | | | - David K C Cooper
- Centre for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - John Dark
- Newcastle University Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Sara Fovargue
- School of Law, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Marie Fox
- School of Law and Social Justice at the University of Liverpool, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK
| | - Michael Gusmano
- Community and Population Health, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jayme Locke
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Chris McGregor
- Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Brendan Parent
- Medical Ethics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - David Shaw
- Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anthony Dorling
- Department of Nephrology and Transplantation, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals NHS Trust, London, UK
- Centre for Nephrology, Urology and Transplantation, King's College, London, UK
| | - Antonia J Cronin
- Department of Nephrology and Transplantation, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals NHS Trust, London, UK
- Centre for Nephrology, Urology and Transplantation, King's College, London, UK
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21
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Kauke-Navarro M, Noel OF, Knoedler L, Knoedler S, Panayi AC, Stoegner VA, Huelsboemer L, Pomahac B. Novel Strategies in Transplantation: Genetic Engineering and Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation. J Surg Res 2023; 291:176-186. [PMID: 37429217 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2023.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Despite the clinical success in vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA), systemic immunosuppression remains necessary to prevent allograft rejection. Even with potent immunosuppressive regimens (tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroids), most patients experience several rejection episodes, often within the same year. The risk of systemic side effects must constantly be weighed against the risk of under-immunosuppression and, thus, acute and chronic rejection. In this context, genomic editing has emerged as a potential tool to minimize the need for toxic immunosuppressive regimens and has gained attention in the fields of solid organ transplantation and xenotransplantation. This strategy may also be relevant for the future of VCA. METHODS We discuss the topic of genetic engineering and review recent developments in this field that justify investigating tools such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9 in the context of VCA. RESULTS We propose specific strategies for VCA based on the most recent gene expression data. This includes the well-known strategy of tolerance induction. Specifically, targeting the interaction between antigen-presenting cells and recipient-derived T cells by CD40 knockout may be effective. The novelty for VCA is a discovery that donor-derived T lymphocytes may play a special role in allograft rejection of facial transplants. We suggest targeting these cells prior to transplantation (e.g., by ex vivo perfusion of the transplant) by knocking out genes necessary for the long-term persistence of donor-derived immune cells in the allograft. CONCLUSION Despite the demonstrated feasibility of VCA in recent years, continued improvements to immunomodulatory strategies using tools like clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9 could lead to the development of approaches that mitigate the limitations associated with rejection of this life-giving procedure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kauke-Navarro
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Olivier F Noel
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Leonard Knoedler
- Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Samuel Knoedler
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Adriana C Panayi
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Viola A Stoegner
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Plastic, Aesthetic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Center, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Lioba Huelsboemer
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Institute of Musculoskeletal Medicine, University Hospital Muenster, Münster, Germany
| | - Bohdan Pomahac
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
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22
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Sakata N, Yoshimatsu G, Kawakami R, Aoyagi C, Kodama S. Optimal temperature for the long-term culture of adult porcine islets for xenotransplantation. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1280668. [PMID: 37901206 PMCID: PMC10611499 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1280668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Porcine islet xenotransplantation represents a promising therapy for severe diabetes mellitus. Long-term culture of porcine islets is a crucial challenge to permit the on-demand provision of islets. We aimed to identify the optimal temperature for the long-term culture of adult porcine islets for xenotransplantation. We evaluated the factors potentially influencing successful 28-day culture of islets at 24°C and 37°C, and found that culture at 37°C contributed to the stability of the morphology of the islets, the proliferation of islet cells, and the recovery of endocrine function, indicated by the expression of genes involved in pancreatic development, hormone production, and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. These advantages may be provided by islet-derived CD146-positive stellate cells. The efficacy of xenotransplantation using islets cultured for a long time at 37°C was similar to that of overnight-cultured islets. In conclusion, 37°C might be a suitable temperature for the long-term culture of porcine islets, but further modifications will be required for successful xenotransplantation in a clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoaki Sakata
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Fukuoka University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Gumpei Yoshimatsu
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Fukuoka University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Ryo Kawakami
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Fukuoka University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Chikao Aoyagi
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Fukuoka University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Shohta Kodama
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Fukuoka University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
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23
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Cooper DKC, Raza SS, Chaban R, Pierson RN. Shooting for the moon: Genome editing for pig heart xenotransplantation. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2023; 166:973-980. [PMID: 35659123 PMCID: PMC10124774 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2022.04.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Gene-edited pigs could eventually provide organs that are safely and effectively protected from the human immune response without exogenous immunosuppression. Genome editing technology has revolutionized heart xenotransplantation and made transplantation of bioengineered pig hearts into humans a possibility. This first clinical application resulted from a tremendous amount of research. Dramatic early attempts of clinical cardiac xenotransplantation during the last century paved the way to modern xenotransplantation using bioengineered pig hearts. It appears that such genome-edited hearts will be most suitable for neonates and infants because of their immature immune system. The bioengineered pig heart may also be used as a bridge to human heart transplantation, avoiding the risk of thromboembolic events of durable ventricular assist devises in these young children. It is also intriguing to think that bioengineered hearts using pigs as a host may result in a new source of donor hearts that would not evoke the human immune response and minimize, if not eliminate, the need for immunosuppression. It this issue of the Journal, a group of experts led by Dr Cooper, whose personal work spans over 50 years of heart transplantation research, outline the current state of the genome editing of bioengineered hearts and discuss the prospects of clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- David K C Cooper
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass
| | | | - Ryan Chaban
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass; Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital of Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Richard N Pierson
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass
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24
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Wang ZY, Reyes L, Estrada J, Burlak C, Gennuso VN, Tector MO, Ho S, Tector M, Tector AJ. Patients on the Transplant Waiting List Have Anti-Swine Leukocyte Antigen Class I Antibodies. Immunohorizons 2023; 7:619-625. [PMID: 37712913 PMCID: PMC10587499 DOI: 10.4049/immunohorizons.2300056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Organ supply remains inadequate to meet the needs of many patients who could benefit from allotransplantation. Xenotransplantation, the use of animals as organ donors, provides an opportunity to alleviate this challenge. Pigs are widely accepted as the ideal organ donor, but humans and nonhuman primates have strong humoral immune responses to porcine tissue. Although carbohydrate xenoantigens have been studied intensively, the primate Ab response also targets class I and class II swine leukocyte Ags (SLAs). Human Abs that recognize HLAs can cross-react with SLA molecules because epitopes can be shared across species. However, ∼15% of people may also exhibit Abs toward class II SLAs despite lacking Abs that also recognize class II HLAs. Here, we extend these studies to better understand human Ab responses toward class I SLAs. When tested against a panel of 18 unique class I SLA proteins, 14 of 52 sera samples collected from patients in need of an organ transplant contained Abs that bound class I SLAs. Class I SLA-reactive sera may contain IgM only, IgG, only, or IgM and IgG capable of recognizing the pig proteins. The presence of class I HLA-reactive Abs was not essential to generating anti-class I SLA Ig. Last, anti-class I SLA reactivity varied by serum; some recognized a single SLA allele, whereas others recognized multiple class I SLA proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng-Yu Wang
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL
| | - Luz Reyes
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL
| | - Jose Estrada
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL
| | - Christopher Burlak
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL
| | | | | | - Sam Ho
- Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network, Itasca, IL
| | | | - A. Joseph Tector
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL
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25
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Habibabady Z, McGrath G, Kinoshita K, Maenaka A, Ikechukwu I, Elias GF, Zaletel T, Rosales I, Hara H, Pierson RN, Cooper DKC. Antibody-mediated rejection in xenotransplantation: Can it be prevented or reversed? Xenotransplantation 2023; 30:e12816. [PMID: 37548030 PMCID: PMC11101061 DOI: 10.1111/xen.12816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is the commonest cause of failure of a pig graft after transplantation into an immunosuppressed nonhuman primate (NHP). The incidence of AMR compared to acute cellular rejection is much higher in xenotransplantation (46% vs. 7%) than in allotransplantation (3% vs. 63%) in NHPs. Although AMR in an allograft can often be reversed, to our knowledge there is no report of its successful reversal in a pig xenograft. As there is less experience in preventing or reversing AMR in models of xenotransplantation, the results of studies in patients with allografts provide more information. These include (i) depletion or neutralization of serum anti-donor antibodies, (ii) inhibition of complement activation, (iii) therapies targeting B or plasma cells, and (iv) anti-inflammatory therapy. Depletion or neutralization of anti-pig antibody, for example, by plasmapheresis, is effective in depleting antibodies, but they recover within days. IgG-degrading enzymes do not deplete IgM. Despite the expression of human complement-regulatory proteins on the pig graft, inhibition of systemic complement activation may be necessary, particularly if AMR is to be reversed. Potential therapies include (i) inhibition of complement activation (e.g., by IVIg, C1 INH, or an anti-C5 antibody), but some complement inhibitors are not effective in NHPs, for example, eculizumab. Possible B cell-targeted therapies include (i) B cell depletion, (ii) plasma cell depletion, (iii) modulation of B cell activation, and (iv) enhancing the generation of regulatory B and/or T cells. Among anti-inflammatory agents, anti-IL6R mAb and TNF blockers are increasingly being tested in xenotransplantation models, but with no definitive evidence that they reverse AMR. Increasing attention should be directed toward testing combinations of the above therapies. We suggest that treatment with a systemic complement inhibitor is likely to be most effective, possibly combined with anti-inflammatory agents (if these are not already being administered). Ultimately, it may require further genetic engineering of the organ-source pig to resolve the problem entirely, for example, knockout or knockdown of SLA, and/or expression of PD-L1, HLA E, and/or HLA-G.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Habibabady
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gannon McGrath
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kohei Kinoshita
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Akihiro Maenaka
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ileka Ikechukwu
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gabriela F. Elias
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tjasa Zaletel
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ivy Rosales
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hidetaka Hara
- Yunnan Xenotransplantation Engineering Research Center, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Richard N. Pierson
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David K. C. Cooper
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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26
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Hara H, Yamamoto T, Wei HJ, Cooper DK. What Have We Learned From In Vitro Studies About Pig-to-primate Organ Transplantation? Transplantation 2023; 107:1265-1277. [PMID: 36536507 PMCID: PMC10205677 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000004458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Natural preformed and de novo antibodies against pig antigens are a major cause of pig xenograft rejection in nonhuman primates (NHPs). In vivo studies in pig-to-NHP models are time consuming. In vitro assays, for example, antibody binding to pig cells, complement-dependent cytotoxicity assays, provide valuable information quickly and inexpensively. Using in vitro assays for several years, it has been documented that (1) during the first year of life, humans and NHPs develop anti-wild-type pig antibodies, but humans develop no or minimal antibody to triple-knockout (TKO) pig cells. (2) Some adult humans have no or minimal antibodies to TKO pig cells and are therefore unlikely to rapidly reject a TKO organ, particularly if the organ also expresses human "protective" proteins. (3) There is good correlation between immunoglobulin (Ig)M (but no t IgG) binding and complement injury. (4) All Old World NHPs develop antibodies to TKO pig cells and are not optimal recipients of TKO organs. (5) galactosyltransferase gene-knockout/β4GalNT2KO pigs are preferred for Old World NHPs. (6) Humans develop anti-pig IgE and IgA antibodies against pig cells, but their role remains uncertain. (7) In a small percentage of allosensitized humans, antibodies that cross-react with swine leukocyte antigens may be detrimental to a pig organ xenograft. (8) Prior sensitization to pig antigens is unlikely to be detrimental to a subsequent allograft. (9) Deletion of expression of Gal and Neu5Gc is associated with a reduction in the T-cell response to pig cells. All of these valuable observations have largely predicted the results of in vivo studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidetaka Hara
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Takayuki Yamamoto
- Department of Surgery, Center for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Hong-Jiang Wei
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - David K.C. Cooper
- Department of Surgery, Center for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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27
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Koh J, Chee HK, Kim KH, Jeong IS, Kim JS, Lee CH, Seo JW. Historical Review and Future of Cardiac Xenotransplantation. Korean Circ J 2023; 53:351-366. [PMID: 37271743 DOI: 10.4070/kcj.2022.0351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Along with the development of immunosuppressive drugs, major advances on xenotransplantation were achieved by understanding the immunobiology of xenograft rejection. Most importantly, three predominant carbohydrate antigens on porcine endothelial cells were key elements provoking hyperacute rejection: α1,3-galactose, SDa blood group antigen, and N-glycolylneuraminic acid. Preformed antibodies binding to the porcine major xenoantigen causes complement activation and endothelial cell activation, leading to xenograft injury and intravascular thrombosis. Recent advances in genetic engineering enabled knock-outs of these major xenoantigens, thus producing xenografts with less hyperacute rejection rates. Another milestone in the history of xenotransplantation was the development of co-stimulation blockaded strategy. Unlike allotransplantation, xenotransplantation requires blockade of CD40-CD40L pathway to prevent T-cell dependent B-cell activation and antibody production. In 2010s, advanced genetic engineering of xenograft by inducing the expression of multiple human transgenes became available. So-called 'multi-gene' xenografts expressing human transgenes such as thrombomodulin and endothelial protein C receptor were introduced, which resulted in the reduction of thrombotic events and improvement of xenograft survival. Still, there are many limitations to clinical translation of cardiac xenotransplantation. Along with technical challenges, zoonotic infection and physiological discordances are major obstacles. Social barriers including healthcare costs also need to be addressed. Although there are several remaining obstacles to overcome, xenotransplantation would surely become the novel option for millions of patients with end-stage heart failure who have limited options to traditional therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiwon Koh
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyun Keun Chee
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Konkuk University Medical Center, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Kyung-Hee Kim
- Division of Cardiology, Incheon Sejong Hospital, Incheon, Korea
| | - In-Seok Jeong
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Chonnam National University Hospital and Medical School, Gwangju, Korea
| | - Jung-Sun Kim
- Department of Pathology and Translational Genomics, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
| | - Chang-Ha Lee
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Bucheon Sejong Hospital, Bucheon, Korea
| | - Jeong-Wook Seo
- Department of Pathology, Incheon Sejong Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
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28
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Ogun OJ, Thaller G, Becker D. Molecular Structural Analysis of Porcine CMAH-Native Ligand Complex and High Throughput Virtual Screening to Identify Novel Inhibitors. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12050684. [PMID: 37242354 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12050684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Porcine meat is the most consumed red meat worldwide. Pigs are also vital tools in biological and medical research. However, xenoreactivity between porcine's N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) and human anti-Neu5Gc antibodies poses a significant challenge. On the one hand, dietary Neu5Gc intake has been connected to particular human disorders. On the other hand, some pathogens connected to pig diseases have a preference for Neu5Gc. The Cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) catalyses the conversion of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) to Neu5Gc. In this study, we predicted the tertiary structure of CMAH, performed molecular docking, and analysed the protein-native ligand complex. We performed a virtual screening from a drug library of 5M compounds and selected the two top inhibitors with Vina scores of -9.9 kcal/mol for inhibitor 1 and -9.4 kcal/mol for inhibitor 2. We further analysed their pharmacokinetic and pharmacophoric properties. We conducted stability analyses of the complexes with molecular dynamic simulations of 200 ns and binding free energy calculations. The overall analyses revealed the inhibitors' stable binding, which was further validated by the MMGBSA studies. In conclusion, this result may pave the way for future studies to determine how to inhibit CMAH activities. Further in vitro studies can provide in-depth insight into these compounds' therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwamayowa Joshua Ogun
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, University of Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Georg Thaller
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, University of Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Doreen Becker
- Institute of Genome Biology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany
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29
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Gao S, Wang Y, Qi T, Wei J, Hu Z, Liu J, Sun S, Liu H, Wang Y. Genome editing with natural and engineered CjCas9 orthologs. Mol Ther 2023; 31:1177-1187. [PMID: 36733251 PMCID: PMC10124074 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
CjCas9 is one of the smallest CRISPR-associated (Cas9) nucleases for mammalian genome editing. However, it requires a long N4RYAC (R = A or G; Y = C or T) protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM), limiting its DNA targeting scope. In this study, we investigated the PAMs of three CjCas9 orthologs, including Hsp1Cas9, Hsp2Cas9, and CcuCas9, by performing a GFP-activation assay. Interestingly, Hsp1Cas9 and CcuCas9 recognized unique N4RAA and N4CNA PAMs, respectively. We further generated an Hsp1Cas9-Hsp2Cas9 chimeric Cas9 (Hsp1-Hsp2Cas9), which recognized a simple N4CY PAM. Genome-wide off-target analysis revealed that Hsp1-Hsp2Cas9 has very few off-targets compared to SpCas9. By analyzing the crystal structure of CjCas9, we identified eight mutations that can improve the specificity and generate a high-fidelity Hsp1-Hsp2Cas9-Y. Hsp1-Hsp2Cas9-Y enables the knockout of B4GALNT2 and CMAH in porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFFs). Moreover, we developed a high-fidelity Hsp1-Hsp2Cas9-KY which displayed undetectable off-targets revealed by GUIDE-seq at four tested loci. These natural and engineered Cas9 nucleases enabled efficient genome editing in multiple mammalian cells, expanding the DNA targeting scope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Yao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Tao Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Jingjing Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Ziying Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Jingtong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Shuna Sun
- Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai 201102, China.
| | - Huihui Liu
- Experimental Center of Forestry in North China, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 102300, China.
| | - Yongming Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
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30
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Cooper DKC, Pierson RN. Milestones on the path to clinical pig organ xenotransplantation. Am J Transplant 2023; 23:326-335. [PMID: 36775767 PMCID: PMC10127379 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajt.2022.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Progress in pig organ xenotransplantation has been made largely through (1) genetic engineering of the organ-source pig to protect its tissues from the human innate immune response, and (2) development of an immunosuppressive regimen based on blockade of the CD40/CD154 costimulation pathway to prevent the adaptive immune response. In the 1980s, after transplantation into nonhuman primates (NHPs), wild-type (genetically unmodified) pig organs were rejected within minutes or hours. In the 1990s, organs from pigs expressing a human complement-regulatory protein (CD55) transplanted into NHPs receiving intensive conventional immunosuppressive therapy functioned for days or weeks. When costimulation blockade was introduced in 2000, the adaptive immune response was suppressed more readily. The identification of galactose-α1,3-galactose as the major antigen target for human and NHP anti-pig antibodies in 1991 allowed for deletion of expression of galactose-α1,3-galactose in 2003, extending pig graft survival for up to 6 months. Subsequent gene editing to overcome molecular incompatibilities between the pig and primate coagulation systems proved additionally beneficial. The identification of 2 further pig carbohydrate xenoantigens allowed the production of 'triple-knockout' pigs that are preferred for clinical organ transplantation. These combined advances enabled the first clinical pig heart transplant to be performed and opened the door to formal clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- David K C Cooper
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
| | - Richard N Pierson
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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31
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Tector AJ, Adams AB, Tector M. Current Status of Renal Xenotransplantation and Next Steps. KIDNEY360 2023; 4:278-284. [PMID: 36821619 PMCID: PMC10103350 DOI: 10.34067/kid.0007152021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Renal transplantation is the preferred treatment of ESKD, but the shortage of suitable donor kidneys from the cadaver pool means that many patients with ESKD will not receive a kidney transplant. Xenotransplantation has long represented a solution to the kidney shortage, but the occurrence of antibody-mediated rejection has precluded its clinical development. Developments in somatic cell nuclear transfer in pigs and gene editing tools have led to the creation of new donor pigs with greatly improved crossmatches to patients. In addition, improvements in preclinical kidney xenotransplant survival using new anti-CD40/CD154-based immunosuppression have pushed xenotransplantation to the point where it is reasonable to consider initiating a clinical trial to evaluate this potential therapy in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfred J. Tector
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
| | - Andrew B. Adams
- Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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32
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Arabi TZ, Sabbah BN, Lerman A, Zhu XY, Lerman LO. Xenotransplantation: Current Challenges and Emerging Solutions. Cell Transplant 2023; 32:9636897221148771. [PMID: 36644844 PMCID: PMC9846288 DOI: 10.1177/09636897221148771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
To address the ongoing shortage of organs available for replacement, xenotransplantation of hearts, corneas, skin, and kidneys has been attempted. However, a major obstacle facing xenotransplants is rejection due to a cycle of immune reactions to the graft. Both adaptive and innate immune systems contribute to this cycle, in which natural killer cells, macrophages, and T-cells play a significant role. While advancements in the field of genetic editing can circumvent some of these obstacles, biomarkers to identify and predict xenograft rejection remain to be standardized. Several T-cell markers, such as CD3, CD4, and CD8, are useful in both the diagnosis and prediction of xenograft rejection. Furthermore, an increase in the levels of various circulating DNA markers and microRNAs is also predictive of xenograft rejection. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the advancements in xenotransplantation, with a focus on pig-to-human, the role of immunity in xenograft rejection, and its biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarek Ziad Arabi
- Division of Nephrology and
Hypertension, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA,College of Medicine, Alfaisal
University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Belal Nedal Sabbah
- College of Medicine, Alfaisal
University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,Department of Urology, Mayo Clinic,
Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Amir Lerman
- Department of Cardiology, Mayo Clinic,
Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Xiang-Yang Zhu
- Division of Nephrology and
Hypertension, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA,Xiang-Yang Zhu, Division of Nephrology and
Hypertension, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW., Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
| | - Lilach O. Lerman
- Division of Nephrology and
Hypertension, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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Cheung MD, Asiimwe R, Erman EN, Fucile CF, Liu S, Sun CW, Hanumanthu VS, Pal HC, Wright ED, Ghajar-Rahimi G, Epstein D, Orandi BJ, Kumar V, Anderson DJ, Greene ME, Bell M, Yates S, Moore KH, LaFontaine J, Killian JT, Baker G, Perry J, Reed R, Little SC, Rosenberg AF, George JF, Locke JE, Porrett PM. Spatiotemporal immune atlas of the first clinical-grade, gene-edited pig-to-human kidney xenotransplant. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2382345. [PMID: 36711785 PMCID: PMC9882594 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2382345/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Pig-to-human xenotransplantation is rapidly approaching the clinical arena; however, it is unclear which immunomodulatory regimens will effectively control human immune responses to pig xenografts. We transplanted a gene-edited pig kidney into a brain-dead human recipient on pharmacologic immunosuppression and studied the human immune response to the xenograft using spatial transcriptomics and single-cell RNA sequencing. Human immune cells were uncommon in the porcine kidney cortex early after xenotransplantation and consisted of primarily myeloid cells. Both the porcine resident macrophages and human infiltrating macrophages expressed genes consistent with an alternatively activated, anti-inflammatory phenotype. No significant infiltration of human B or T cells into the porcine kidney xenograft was detected. Altogether, these findings provide proof of concept that conventional pharmacologic immunosuppression is sufficient to restrict infiltration of human immune cells into the xenograft early after compatible pig-to-human kidney xenotransplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D. Cheung
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Rebecca Asiimwe
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Elise N. Erman
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - Shanrun Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Chiao-Wang Sun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Vidya Sagar Hanumanthu
- Flow Cytometry & Single Cell Core Facility, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Harish C. Pal
- Flow Cytometry & Single Cell Core Facility, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Emma D. Wright
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - Daniel Epstein
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Babak J. Orandi
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Vineeta Kumar
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Douglas J. Anderson
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Morgan E. Greene
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Markayla Bell
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Stefani Yates
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Kyle H. Moore
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jennifer LaFontaine
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - John T. Killian
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Gavin Baker
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jackson Perry
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Rhiannon Reed
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Shawn C. Little
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Alexander F. Rosenberg
- Informatics Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - James F. George
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jayme E. Locke
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Paige M. Porrett
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL, USA
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34
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Cooper DKC, Habibabady Z, Kinoshita K, Hara H, Pierson RN. The respective relevance of sensitization to alloantigens and xenoantigens in pig organ xenotransplantation. Hum Immunol 2023; 84:18-26. [PMID: 35817653 PMCID: PMC10154072 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2022.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antibody-mediated rejection is a major cause of graft injury and contributes to failure of pig xenografts in nonhuman primates (NHPs). Most 'natural' or elicited antibodies found in humans and NHPs are directed against pig glycan antigens, but antibodies binding to swine leukocyte antigens (SLA) have also been detected. Of clinical importance is (i) whether the presence of high levels of antibodies directed towards human leukocyte antigens (HLA) (i.e., high panel-reactive antibodies) would be detrimental to the outcome of a pig organ xenograft; and (ii) whether, in the event of sensitization to pig antigens, a subsequent allotransplant would be at increased risk of graft failure due to elicited anti-pig antibodies that cross-react with human HLA or other antigens. SUMMARY A literature review of pig-to-primate studies indicates that relatively few highly-HLA-sensitized humans have antibodies that cross-react with pigs, predicting that most would not be at increased risk of rejecting an organ xenograft. Furthermore, the existing evidence indicates that sensitization to pig antigens will probably not elicit increased alloantibody titers; if so, 'bridging' with a pig organ could be carried out without increased risk of subsequent antibody-mediated allograft failure. KEY MESSAGE These issues have important implications for the design and conduct of clinical xenotransplantation trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- D K C Cooper
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Z Habibabady
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - K Kinoshita
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - H Hara
- Yunnan Xenotransplantation Engineering Research Center, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - R N Pierson
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Shetty A, Lim S, Strell P, Steer CJ, Rivera-Mulia JC, Low WC. In Silico Stage-Matching of Human, Marmoset, Mouse, and Pig Embryos to Enhance Organ Development Through Interspecies Chimerism. Cell Transplant 2023; 32:9636897231158728. [PMID: 36929807 PMCID: PMC10026093 DOI: 10.1177/09636897231158728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, there is a significant shortage of transplantable organs for patients in need. Interspecies chimerism and blastocyst complementation are alternatives for generating transplantable human organs in host animals such as pigs to meet this shortage. While successful interspecies chimerism and organ generation have been observed between evolutionarily close species such as rat and mouse, barriers still exist for more distant species pairs such as human-mouse, marmoset-mouse, human-pig, and others. One of the proposed barriers to chimerism is the difference in developmental stages between the donor cells and the host embryo at the time the cells are introduced into the host embryo. Hence, there is a logical effort to stage-match the donor cells with the host embryos for enhancing interspecies chimerism. In this study, we used an in silico approach to simultaneously stage-match the early developing embryos of four species, including human, marmoset, mouse, and pig based on transcriptome similarities. We used an unsupervised clustering algorithm to simultaneously stage-match all four species as well as Spearman's correlation analyses to stage-match pairs of donor-host species. From our stage-matching analyses, we found that the four stages that best matched with each other are the human blastocyst (E6/E7), the gastrulating mouse embryo (E6-E6.75), the marmoset late inner cell mass, and the pig late blastocyst. We further demonstrated that human pluripotent stem cells best matched with the mouse post-implantation stages. We also performed ontology analysis of the genes upregulated and commonly expressed between donor-host species pairs at their best matched stages. The stage-matching results predicted by this study will inform in vivo and in vitro interspecies chimerism and blastocyst complementation studies and can be used to match donor cells with host embryos between multiple species pairs to enhance chimerism for organogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anala Shetty
- Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, and Genetics Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Seunghyun Lim
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Phoebe Strell
- Comparative and Molecular Biosciences Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Clifford J Steer
- Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, and Genetics Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Juan Carlos Rivera-Mulia
- Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, and Genetics Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Walter C Low
- Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, and Genetics Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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36
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Lei T, Chen L, Wang K, Du S, Gonelle-Gispert C, Wang Y, Buhler LH. Genetic engineering of pigs for xenotransplantation to overcome immune rejection and physiological incompatibilities: The first clinical steps. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1031185. [PMID: 36561750 PMCID: PMC9766364 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1031185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Xenotransplantation has the potential to solve the shortfall of human organ donors. Genetically modified pigs have been considered as potential animal donors for human xenotransplantation and have been widely used in preclinical research. The genetic modifications aim to prevent the major species-specific barriers, which include humoral and cellular immune responses, and physiological incompatibilities such as complement and coagulation dysfunctions. Genetically modified pigs can be created by deleting several pig genes related to the synthesis of various pig specific antigens or by inserting human complement- and coagulation-regulatory transgenes. Finally, in order to reduce the risk of infection, genes related to porcine endogenous retroviruses can be knocked down. In this review, we focus on genetically modified pigs and comprehensively summarize the immunological mechanism of xenograft rejection and recent progress in preclinical and clinical studies. Overall, both genetically engineered pig-based xenografts and technological breakthroughs in the biomedical field provide a promising foundation for pig-to-human xenotransplantation in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiantian Lei
- Department of Pharmacy, Women and Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children, Chongqing, China
| | - Lin Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Women and Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children, Chongqing, China
| | - Kejing Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Women and Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children, Chongqing, China
| | - Suya Du
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Sichuan, China
| | - Carmen Gonelle-Gispert
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland,*Correspondence: Carmen Gonelle-Gispert, ; Yi Wang, ; Leo H. Buhler,
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China,*Correspondence: Carmen Gonelle-Gispert, ; Yi Wang, ; Leo H. Buhler,
| | - Leo H. Buhler
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland,*Correspondence: Carmen Gonelle-Gispert, ; Yi Wang, ; Leo H. Buhler,
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37
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Lu TY, Xu XL, Du XG, Wei JH, Yu JN, Deng SL, Qin C. Advances in Innate Immunity to Overcome Immune Rejection during Xenotransplantation. Cells 2022; 11:cells11233865. [PMID: 36497122 PMCID: PMC9735653 DOI: 10.3390/cells11233865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Transplantation is an effective approach for treating end-stage organ failure. There has been a long-standing interest in xenotransplantation as a means of increasing the number of available organs. In the past decade, there has been tremendous progress in xenotransplantation accelerated by the development of rapid gene-editing tools and immunosuppressive therapy. Recently, the heart and kidney from pigs were transplanted into the recipients, which suggests that xenotransplantation has entered a new era. The genetic discrepancy and molecular incompatibility between pigs and primates results in barriers to xenotransplantation. An increasing body of evidence suggests that innate immune responses play an important role in all aspects of the xenogeneic rejection. Simultaneously, the role of important cellular components like macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, and neutrophils, suggests that the innate immune response in the xenogeneic rejection should not be underestimated. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about the innate immune system in xenotransplantation and highlight the key issues for future investigations. A better understanding of the innate immune responses in xenotransplantation may help to control the xenograft rejection and design optimal combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian-Yu Lu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College, National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical Diseases, International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal model, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Xue-Ling Xu
- National Engineering Laboratory of Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xu-Guang Du
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Jin-Hua Wei
- Cardiovascular Surgery Department, Center of Laboratory Medicine, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100037, China
| | - Jia-Nan Yu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College, National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical Diseases, International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal model, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Shou-Long Deng
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College, National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical Diseases, International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal model, Beijing 100021, China
- Correspondence: (S.-L.D.); (C.Q.)
| | - Chuan Qin
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College, National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical Diseases, International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal model, Beijing 100021, China
- Changping National Laboratory (CPNL), Beijing 102206, China
- Correspondence: (S.-L.D.); (C.Q.)
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38
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Eisenson DL, Hisadome Y, Santillan MR, Yamada K. Progress in islet xenotransplantation: Immunologic barriers, advances in gene editing, and tolerance induction strategies for xenogeneic islets in pig-to-primate transplantation. FRONTIERS IN TRANSPLANTATION 2022; 1:989811. [PMID: 38390384 PMCID: PMC10883655 DOI: 10.3389/frtra.2022.989811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Islet transplantation has emerged as a curative therapy for diabetes in select patients but remains rare due to shortage of suitable donor pancreases. Islet transplantation using porcine islets has long been proposed as a solution to this organ shortage. There have already been several small clinical trials using porcine islets in humans, but results have been mixed and further trials limited by calls for more rigorous pre-clinical data. Recent progress in heart and kidney xenograft transplant, including three studies of pig-to-human xenograft transplant, have recaptured popular imagination and renewed interest in clinical islet xenotransplantation. This review outlines immunologic barriers to islet transplantation, summarizes current strategies to overcome these barriers with a particular focus on approaches to induce tolerance, and describes an innovative strategy for treatment of diabetic nephropathy with composite islet-kidney transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L Eisenson
- Department of Surgery, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Yu Hisadome
- Department of Surgery, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | | | - Kazuhiko Yamada
- Department of Surgery, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, United States
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39
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Deng J, Yang L, Wang Z, Ouyang H, Yu H, Yuan H, Pang D. Advance of genetically modified pigs in xeno-transplantation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1033197. [PMID: 36299485 PMCID: PMC9590650 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1033197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As the standard of living improves, chronic diseases and end-stage organ failure have been a regular occurrence in human beings. Organ transplantation has become one of the hopes in the fight against chronic diseases and end-stage organ failure. However, organs available for transplantation are far from sufficient to meet the demand, leading to a major organ shortage crisis. To solve this problem, researchers have turned to pigs as their target since pigs have many advantages as xenograft donors. Pigs are considered the ideal organ donor for human xenotransplantation, but direct transplantation of porcine organs to humans faces many obstacles, such as hyperacute rejection, acute humoral xenograft rejection, coagulation dysregulation, inflammatory response, coagulation dysregulation, and endogenous porcine retroviral infection. Many transgenic strategies have been developed to overcome these obstacles. This review provides an overview of current advances in genetically modified pigs for xenotransplantation. Future genetic engineering-based delivery of safe and effective organs and tissues for xenotransplantation remains our goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiacheng Deng
- College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Lin Yang
- College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Ziru Wang
- College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Hongsheng Ouyang
- College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Chongqing Research Institute, Jilin University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Jitang Biotechnology Research Institute, Chongqing, China
| | - Hao Yu
- College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Hongming Yuan
- College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Chongqing Research Institute, Jilin University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Jitang Biotechnology Research Institute, Chongqing, China
- *Correspondence: Hongming Yuan, ; Daxin Pang,
| | - Daxin Pang
- College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Chongqing Research Institute, Jilin University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Jitang Biotechnology Research Institute, Chongqing, China
- *Correspondence: Hongming Yuan, ; Daxin Pang,
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40
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Sykes M, Sachs DH. Progress in xenotransplantation: overcoming immune barriers. Nat Rev Nephrol 2022; 18:745-761. [PMID: 36198911 DOI: 10.1038/s41581-022-00624-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A major limitation of organ allotransplantation is the insufficient supply of donor organs. Consequently, thousands of patients die every year while waiting for a transplant. Progress in xenotransplantation that has permitted pig organ graft survivals of years in non-human primates has led to renewed excitement about the potential of this approach to alleviate the organ shortage. In 2022, the first pig-to-human heart transplant was performed on a compassionate use basis, and xenotransplantation experiments using pig kidneys in deceased human recipients provided encouraging data. Many advances in xenotransplantation have resulted from improvements in the ability to genetically modify pigs using CRISPR-Cas9 and other methodologies. Gene editing has the capacity to generate pig organs that more closely resemble those of humans and are hence more physiologically compatible and less prone to rejection. Despite such modifications, immune responses to xenografts remain powerful and multi-faceted, involving innate immune components that do not attack allografts. Thus, the induction of innate and adaptive immune tolerance to prevent rejection while preserving the capacity of the immune system to protect the recipient and the graft from infection is desirable to enable clinical xenotransplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Sykes
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. .,Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. .,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - David H Sachs
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. .,Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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41
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Immune disguise: the mechanisms of Neu5Gc inducing autoimmune and transplant rejection. Genes Immun 2022; 23:175-182. [PMID: 36151402 DOI: 10.1038/s41435-022-00182-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Organ (stem cell) transplantation is the most effective treatment for advanced organ failure. Neu5Gc (N-hydroxyacetylneuraminic acid) is a pathogenic non-human sialic acid, which is very similar to the molecular structure of Neu5Ac (N-acetylneuraminic acid) in human body. Neu5Gc has the function of "immune disguise", which is the main obstacle to transplantation. Gene knockout such as cytidine monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminidase (CMAH) reduces donor antigenicity, making xenotransplantation from fiction to reality. Exploring the immune disguise event in this emerging field has become a hot topic in the research of transplantation immune tolerance mechanism.
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An Efficacious Transgenic Strategy for Triple Knockout of Xeno-Reactive Antigen Genes GGTA1, CMAH, and B4GALNT2 from Jeju Native Pigs. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10091503. [PMID: 36146581 PMCID: PMC9505423 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10091503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Pigs are promising donors of biological materials for xenotransplantation; however, cell surface carbohydrate antigens, including galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (α-Gal), N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), and Sd blood group antigens, play a significant role in porcine xenograft rejection. Inactivating swine endogenous genes, including GGTA1, CMAH, and B4GALNT2, decreases the binding ratio of human IgG/IgM in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and erythrocytes and impedes the effectiveness of α-Gal, Neu5Gc, and Sd, thereby successfully preventing hyperacute rejection. Therefore, in this study, an effective transgenic system was developed to target GGTA1, CMAH, and B4GALNT2 using CRISPR-CAS9 and develop triple-knockout pigs. The findings revealed that all three antigens (α-Gal, Neu5Gc, and Sd) were not expressed in the heart, lungs, or liver of the triple-knockout Jeju Native Pigs (JNPs), and poor expression of α-Gal and Neu5G was confirmed in the kidneys. Compared with the kidney, heart, and lung tissues from wild-type JNPs, those from GGTA1/CMAH/ B4GALNT2 knockout-recipient JNPs exhibited reduced human IgM and IgG binding and expression of each immunological rejection component. Hence, reducing the expression of swine xenogeneic antigens identifiable by human immunoglobulins can lessen the immunological rejection against xenotransplantation. The findings support the possibility of employing knockout JNP organs for xenogeneic transplantation to minimize or completely eradicate rejection using multiple gene-editing methods.
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Goerlich CE, Singh AK, Griffith BP, Mohiuddin MM. The immunobiology and clinical use of genetically engineered porcine hearts for cardiac xenotransplantation. NATURE CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH 2022; 1:715-726. [PMID: 36895262 PMCID: PMC9994617 DOI: 10.1038/s44161-022-00112-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A summary of the scientific rationale of the advancements that led to the first genetically modified pig-to-human cardiac xenotransplantation is lacking in a complex and rapidly evolving field. Here, we aim to aid the general readership in the understanding of the gradual progression of cardiac (xeno)transplantation research, the immunobiology of cardiac xenotransplantation (including the latest immunosuppression, cardiac preservation and genetic engineering required for successful transplantation) and the regulatory landscape related to the clinical application of cardiac xenotransplantation for people with end-stage heart failure. Finally, we provide an overview of the outcomes and lessons learned from the first genetically modified pig-to-human cardiac heart xenotransplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corbin E Goerlich
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Avneesh K Singh
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bartley P Griffith
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Muhammad M Mohiuddin
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Zhou Q, Li T, Wang K, Zhang Q, Geng Z, Deng S, Cheng C, Wang Y. Current status of xenotransplantation research and the strategies for preventing xenograft rejection. Front Immunol 2022; 13:928173. [PMID: 35967435 PMCID: PMC9367636 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.928173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transplantation is often the last resort for end-stage organ failures, e.g., kidney, liver, heart, lung, and pancreas. The shortage of donor organs is the main limiting factor for successful transplantation in humans. Except living donations, other alternatives are needed, e.g., xenotransplantation of pig organs. However, immune rejection remains the major challenge to overcome in xenotransplantation. There are three different xenogeneic types of rejections, based on the responses and mechanisms involved. It includes hyperacute rejection (HAR), delayed xenograft rejection (DXR) and chronic rejection. DXR, sometimes involves acute humoral xenograft rejection (AHR) and cellular xenograft rejection (CXR), which cannot be strictly distinguished from each other in pathological process. In this review, we comprehensively discussed the mechanism of these immunological rejections and summarized the strategies for preventing them, such as generation of gene knock out donors by different genome editing tools and the use of immunosuppressive regimens. We also addressed organ-specific barriers and challenges needed to pave the way for clinical xenotransplantation. Taken together, this information will benefit the current immunological research in the field of xenotransplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiao Zhou
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Clinical Immunology Translational Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Sichuan Translational Medicine Research Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Ting Li
- Department of Rheumatology, Wenjiang District People’s Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Kaiwen Wang
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Qi Zhang
- School of Medicine, University of Electronics and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhuowen Geng
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Shaoping Deng
- Clinical Immunology Translational Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Sichuan Translational Medicine Research Hospital, Chengdu, China
- Institute of Organ Transplantation, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Chunming Cheng
- Department of Radiation Oncology, James Comprehensive Cancer Center and College of Medicine at The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- *Correspondence: Chunming Cheng, ; Yi Wang,
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Chunming Cheng, ; Yi Wang,
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Kavarana S, Kwon JH, Zilinskas K, Kang L, Turek JW, Mohiuddin MM, Rajab TK. Recent advances in porcine cardiac xenotransplantation: from aortic valve replacement to heart transplantation. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther 2022; 20:597-608. [PMID: 35818712 DOI: 10.1080/14779072.2022.2100760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cardiac xenotransplantation presents significant potential to the field of heart failure by addressing the high demand for donor organs. The availability of xenograft hearts would substantially augment the number of life-saving organs available to patients and may ultimately liberalize eligibility criteria for transplantation. AREAS COVERED In this review, we will discuss the need for cardiac xenotransplantation and the history of research and clinical practice in this field. Specifically, we address immunologic concepts and clinical lessons learned from heart valve replacement using xenogeneic tissues, the advancement of xenotransplantation using organs from genetically modified animals, and the progression of this research to the first-in-man pig-to-human heart transplantation. EXPERT OPINION Cardiac xenotransplantation holds tremendous promise, but the indications for this new treatment will need to be clearly defined because mechanical support with ventricular assist devices and total artificial hearts are increasingly successful alternatives for adults in heart failure. Cardiac xenotransplantation will also serve as temporary bridge to allotransplantation in babies with complex congenital heart disease who are too small for the currently available mechanical assist devices. Moreover, xenotransplantation of the part of the heart containing a heart valve could deliver growing heart valve implants for babies with severe heart valve dysfunction.
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Hansen-Estruch C, Porrett PM, Kumar V, Locke JE. The science of xenotransplantation for nephrologists. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens 2022; 31:387-393. [PMID: 35703221 DOI: 10.1097/mnh.0000000000000800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The field of xenotransplantation has seen remarkable progress since its inception with recent preclinical trials in human recipients pushing kidney xenotransplantation one-step closer to clinical reality. In this review, we update practicing clinicians on recent advances in kidney xenotransplantation given the proximity of clinical trials in humans. RECENT FINDINGS Early studies in the field established the physiologic basis of xenotransplantation and suggested that the pig kidney will support human physiology. Genetic engineering of source pigs has greatly reduced the immunogenicity of kidney grafts, and studies in nonhuman primates have demonstrated the viability of kidney xenotransplants for months after transplantation. Finally, a recent study in a novel preclinical human model demonstrated that key findings in NHP experiments are generalizable to humans, namely, the absence of hyperacute rejection. SUMMARY Overall, it appears that critical physiologic, immunologic and technical barriers to implementation of clinical trials in humans have been overcome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paige M Porrett
- Comprehensive Transplant Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Vineeta Kumar
- Comprehensive Transplant Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Jayme E Locke
- Comprehensive Transplant Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
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Ruan J, Zhang X, Zhao S, Xie S. Advances in CRISPR-Based Functional Genomics and Nucleic Acid Detection in Pigs. Front Genet 2022; 13:891098. [PMID: 35711930 PMCID: PMC9195075 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.891098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jinxue Ruan
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education & Key Lab of Swine Genetics and Breeding of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xuying Zhang
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Shuhong Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education & Key Lab of Swine Genetics and Breeding of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shengsong Xie
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education & Key Lab of Swine Genetics and Breeding of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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Ogun OJ, Thaller G, Becker D. An Overview of the Importance and Value of Porcine Species in Sialic Acid Research. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11060903. [PMID: 35741423 PMCID: PMC9219854 DOI: 10.3390/biology11060903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Humans frequently interact with pigs and porcine meat is the most consumed red meat in the world. In addition, due to the many physiological and anatomical similarities shared between pigs and humans, in contrast to most mammalian species, pigs are a suitable model organism and pig organs can be used for xenotransplantation. However, one major challenge of porcine meat consumption and xenotransplantation is the xenoreactivity between red meat Neu5Gc sialic acid and human anti-Neu5Gc antibodies, which are associated with certain diseases and disorders. Furthermore, pigs express both α2-3 and α2-6 Sia linkages that could serve as viable receptors for viral infections, reassortments, and cross-species transmission of viruses. Therefore, pigs play a significant role in sialic acid research and, in general, in human health. Abstract Humans frequently interact with pigs, whose meat is also one of the primary sources of animal protein. They are one of the main species at the center of sialic acid (Sia) research. Sias are sugars at terminals of glycoconjugates, are expressed at the cell surfaces of mammals, and are important in cellular interactions. N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) and N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) are notable Sias in mammals. Cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) encodes the CMAH enzyme that biosynthesizes Neu5Gc. Although humans cannot endogenously synthesize Neu5Gc due to the inactivation of this gene by a mutation, Neu5Gc can be metabolically incorporated into human tissues from red meat consumption. Interactions between Neu5Gc and human anti-Neu5Gc antibodies have been associated with certain diseases and disorders. In this review, we summarized the sialic acid metabolic pathway, its regulation and link to viral infections, as well as the importance of the pig as a model organism in Sia research, making it a possible source of Neu5Gc antigens affecting human health. Future research in solving the structures of crucial enzymes involved in Sia metabolism, as well as their regulation and interactions with other enzymes, especially CMAH, could help to understand their function and reduce the amount of Neu5Gc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwamayowa Joshua Ogun
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, University of Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany;
- Correspondence: (O.J.O.); (D.B.)
| | - Georg Thaller
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, University of Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany;
| | - Doreen Becker
- Institute of Genome Biology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany
- Correspondence: (O.J.O.); (D.B.)
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Eisenson DL, Hisadome Y, Yamada K. Progress in Xenotransplantation: Immunologic Barriers, Advances in Gene Editing, and Successful Tolerance Induction Strategies in Pig-To-Primate Transplantation. Front Immunol 2022; 13:899657. [PMID: 35663933 PMCID: PMC9157571 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.899657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Organ transplantation is the most effective treatment for end stage organ failure, but there are not enough organs to meet burgeoning demand. One potential solution to this organ shortage is xenotransplantation using pig tissues. Decades of progress in xenotransplantation, accelerated by the development of rapid genome editing tools, particularly the advent of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technologies, have enabled remarkable advances in kidney and heart xenotransplantation in pig-to-nonhuman primates. These breakthroughs in large animal preclinical models laid the foundation for three recent pig-to-human transplants by three different groups: two kidney xenografts in brain dead recipients deemed ineligible for transplant, and one heart xenograft in the first clinical grade study of pig-to-human transplantation. However, despite tremendous progress, recent data including the first clinical case suggest that gene-modification alone will not overcome all xenogeneic immunologic barriers, and thus an active and innovative immunologic strategy is required for successful xenotransplantation. This review highlights xenogeneic immunologic barriers, advances in gene editing, and tolerance-inducing strategies in pig-to-human xenotransplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L Eisenson
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Surgery, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Yu Hisadome
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kazuhiko Yamada
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Surgery, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
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Ganchiku Y, Riella LV. Pig-to-human kidney transplantation using brain-dead donors as recipients: One giant leap, or only one small step for transplantkind? Xenotransplantation 2022; 29:e12748. [PMID: 35616243 DOI: 10.1111/xen.12748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Pig kidney xenotransplantation is increasingly regarded as a realistic solution to the current shortage of human organ donors for patients with end-stage organ failure. Recently, the news of three pig-to-human transplantation cases has awakened public interest. Notably, the case by the Alabama team reported detailed and important findings for the xenotransplantation field. Using a genetically modified pig, two porcine kidneys were transplanted into a brain-dead recipient. They applied several approaches established in the preclinical NHP study, including gene-edited pig kidney graft and preoperative laboratory inspection such as crossmatching and infection screening. The pig-to-human kidney xenotransplantation had no unexpected events during surgery or evidence of hyperacute rejection. Unfortunately, the grafts did not work appropriately, and the study had to be terminated due to the decompensation of the recipient. While this study demonstrated the outstanding achievement in this research area, it also revealed remaining gaps to move xenotransplantation to the clinic. While brain-dead human recipients could reinforce the compatibility achievements of gene-edited pigs in NHP, their pro-inflammatory and pro-coagulant environment, in combination with short-duration of experiments will limit the assessment of kidney function, infection and rejection risk post-transplant, in particular antibody-mediated rejection. The use of successful immunosuppressive protocols of non-human primates xenotransplant experiments including anti-CD154 antibody will be critical to maximize the success in the first in-human trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshikazu Ganchiku
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Leonardo V Riella
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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