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Buscher K, Rixen R, Schütz P, Van Marck V, Heitplatz B, Gabriels G, Jehn U, Braun DA, Pavenstädt H, Reuter S. Unveiling systemic responses in kidney transplantation: interplay between the allograft transcriptome and serum proteins. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1398000. [PMID: 39081308 PMCID: PMC11286594 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1398000] [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: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Immunity, as defined by systems biology, encompasses a holistic response throughout the body, characterized by intricate connections with various tissues and compartments. However, this concept has been rarely explored in kidney transplantation. In this proof-of-concept study, we investigated a direct association between the allograft phenotype and serum protein signatures. Time-matched samples of graft biopsies and blood serum were collected in a heterogeneous cohort of kidney-transplanted patients (n = 15) for bulk RNA sequencing and proteomics, respectively. RNA transcripts exhibit distinct and reproducible, coregulated gene networks with specific functional profiles. We measured 159 serum proteins and investigated correlations with gene expression networks. Two opposing axes-one related to metabolism and the other to inflammation-were identified. They may represent a biological continuum between the allograft and the serum and correlate with allograft function, but not with interstitial fibrosis or proteinuria. For signature validation, we used two independent proteomic data sets (n = 21). Our findings establish a biological link between the allograft transcriptome and the blood serum proteome, highlighting systemic immune effects in kidney transplantation and offering a promising framework for developing allograft-linked biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konrad Buscher
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine D, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Rebecca Rixen
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine D, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Paula Schütz
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine D, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Veerle Van Marck
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Barbara Heitplatz
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Gert Gabriels
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine D, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Ulrich Jehn
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine D, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Daniela Anne Braun
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine D, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Hermann Pavenstädt
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine D, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Stefan Reuter
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine D, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany
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2
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Masset C, Danger R, Degauque N, Dantal J, Giral M, Brouard S. Blood Gene Signature as a Biomarker for Subclinical Kidney Allograft Rejection: Where Are We? Transplantation 2024:00007890-990000000-00787. [PMID: 38867352 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000005105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
The observation decades ago that inflammatory injuries because of an alloimmune response might be present even in the absence of concomitant clinical impairment in allograft function conduced to the later definition of subclinical rejection. Many studies have investigated the different subclinical rejections defined according to the Banff classification (subclinical T cell-mediated rejection and antibody-mediated rejection), overall concluding that these episodes worsened long-term allograft function and survival. These observations led several transplant teams to perform systematic protocolar biopsies to anticipate treatment of rejection episodes and possibly prevent allograft loss. Paradoxically, the invasive characteristics and associated logistics of such procedures paved the way to investigate noninvasive biomarkers (urine and blood) of subclinical rejection. Among them, several research teams proposed a blood gene signature developed from cohort studies, most of which achieved excellent predictive values for the occurrence of subclinical rejection, mainly antibody-mediated rejection. Interestingly, although all identified genes relate to immune subsets and pathways involved in rejection pathophysiology, very few transcripts are shared among these sets of genes, highlighting the heterogenicity of such episodes and the difficult but mandatory need for external validation of such tools. Beyond this, their application and value in clinical practice remain to be definitively demonstrated in both biopsy avoidance and prevention of clinical rejection episodes. Their combination with other biomarkers, either epidemiological or biological, could contribute to a more accurate picture of a patient's risk of rejection and guide clinicians in the follow-up of kidney transplant recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Masset
- Institut de Transplantation-Urologie-Néphrologie (ITUN), Nantes University Hospital, Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, INSERM, Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology, Nantes, France
| | - Richard Danger
- Institut de Transplantation-Urologie-Néphrologie (ITUN), Nantes University Hospital, Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, INSERM, Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology, Nantes, France
| | - Nicolas Degauque
- Institut de Transplantation-Urologie-Néphrologie (ITUN), Nantes University Hospital, Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, INSERM, Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology, Nantes, France
| | - Jacques Dantal
- Institut de Transplantation-Urologie-Néphrologie (ITUN), Nantes University Hospital, Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, INSERM, Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology, Nantes, France
| | - Magali Giral
- Institut de Transplantation-Urologie-Néphrologie (ITUN), Nantes University Hospital, Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, INSERM, Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology, Nantes, France
| | - Sophie Brouard
- Institut de Transplantation-Urologie-Néphrologie (ITUN), Nantes University Hospital, Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, INSERM, Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology, Nantes, France
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Akalin E, Mas VR. Inside look: Are noninvasive biomarkers up to standard? Am J Transplant 2024; 24:320-321. [PMID: 37925160 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajt.2023.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Enver Akalin
- Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
| | - Valeria R Mas
- Surgical Sciences Division, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland Medical School, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
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Bestard O, Augustine J, Wee A, Poggio E, Mannon RB, Ansari MJ, Bhati C, Maluf D, Benken S, Leca N, La Manna G, Samaniego-Picota M, Shawar S, Concepcion BP, Rostaing L, Alberici F, O'Connell P, Chang A, Salem F, Kattan MW, Gallon L, Donovan MJ. Prospective observational study to validate a next-generation sequencing blood RNA signature to predict early kidney transplant rejection. Am J Transplant 2024; 24:436-447. [PMID: 38152017 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajt.2023.09.021] [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: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to validate the performance of Tutivia, a peripheral blood gene expression signature, in predicting early acute rejection (AR) post-kidney transplant. Recipients of living or deceased donor kidney transplants were enrolled in a nonrandomized, prospective, global, and observational study (NCT04727788). The main outcome was validation of the area under the curve (AUC) of Tutivia vs serum creatinine at biopsy alone, or Tutivia + serum creatinine at biopsy. Of the 151 kidney transplant recipients, the mean cohort age was 53 years old, and 64% were male. There were 71% (107/151) surveillance/protocol biopsies and 29% (44/151) for-cause biopsies, with a 31% (47/151) overall rejection rate. Tutivia (AUC 0.69 [95% CI: 0.59-0.77]) and AUC of Tutivia + creatinine at biopsy (0.68 [95% CI: 0.59-0.77]) were greater than the AUC of creatinine at biopsy alone (0.51.4 [95% CI: 0.43-0.60]). Applying a model cut-off of 50 (scale 0-100) generated a high- and low-risk category for AR with a negative predictive value of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.71-0.86), a positive predictive value of 0.60 (95% CI: 0.45-0.74), and an odds ratio of 5.74 (95% CI: 2.63-12.54). Tutivia represents a validated noninvasive approach for clinicians to accurately predict early AR, beyond the current standard of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriol Bestard
- Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Alvin Wee
- Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Daniel Maluf
- University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Scott Benken
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Nicolae Leca
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Gaetano La Manna
- Nephrology, Dialysis and Kidney Transplant Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Saed Shawar
- Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Fadi Salem
- Mayo Medical, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | | | - Lorenzo Gallon
- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA; Verici Dx, Franklin, Tennessee, USA.
| | - Michael J Donovan
- Verici Dx, Franklin, Tennessee, USA; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
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Han HS, Lubetzky ML. Immune monitoring of allograft status in kidney transplant recipients. FRONTIERS IN NEPHROLOGY 2023; 3:1293907. [PMID: 38022723 PMCID: PMC10663942 DOI: 10.3389/fneph.2023.1293907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Kidney transplant patients require careful management of immunosuppression to avoid rejection while minimizing the risk of infection and malignancy for the best long-term outcome. The gold standard for monitoring allograft status and immunosuppression adequacy is a kidney biopsy, but this is invasive and costly. Conventional methods of allograft monitoring, such as serum creatinine level, are non-specific. Although they alert physicians to the need to evaluate graft dysfunction, by the time there is a clinical abnormality, allograft damage may have already occurred. The development of novel and non-invasive methods of evaluating allograft status are important to improving graft outcomes. This review summarizes the available conventional and novel methods for monitoring allograft status after kidney transplant. Novel and less invasive methods include gene expression, cell-free DNA, urinary biomarkers, and the use of artificial intelligence. The optimal method to manage patients after kidney transplant is still being investigated. The development of less invasive methods to assess allograft function has the potential to improve patient outcomes and allow for a more personalized approach to immunosuppression management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hwarang S. Han
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
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