Bone marrow transplantation from unrelated donors: the impact of mismatches with substitutions at position 116 of the human leukocyte antigen class I heavy chain

A uniform conditioning regimen of busulfan, fludarabine, and antithymocyte globulin for allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation from haploidentical family, matched sibling, or unrelated donors-A single-centre, prospective, explorative study

In a prospective, explorative study, the donor-source difference of haploidentical family (HF), matched sibling (MS), and unrelated donors (UD) was evaluated for the outcome of haematopoietic cell transplantations (HCT) in 101 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in complete remission (CR). To eliminate compounding effects, a uniform conditioning regimen containing antithymocyte globulin (ATG) was used. After transplantation, there was a significantly higher cumulative incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in HF-HCT patients (49%, 7%, and 16% for HF-, MS- and UD-HCT respectively; p < 0.001). A quarter of acute GVHD cases observed in HF-HCT patients occurred within three days of engraftment and were characterized by diffuse skin rash, fever, weight gain, and hypoalbuminaemia. This peri-engraftment acute GVHD was not observed in MS-HCT or UD-HCT patients. Additionally, a significantly higher proportion of HF-HCT patients achieved complete donor chimaerism in the peripheral mononuclear cells at one month (88%, 46%, and 69% for HF-, MS- and UD-HCT respectively; p = 0.001). There was no significant difference in engraftment, chronic GVHD, leukaemia recurrence, non-relapse mortality, and patient survival. In patients with AML in CR who received HCT using ATG-containing conditioning, stronger donor-patient alloreactivity was observed in HF-HCT, in terms of increased acute GVHD and higher likelihood of complete donor chimaerism.

Human Leucocyte Antigen System and Selection of Unrelated Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donors: Impact of Patient-Donor (Mis)matching and New Challenges with the Current Technologies

The selection of hematopoietic stem cell donors for allogeneic transplantation (allo-HSCT) is mainly driven by human leucocyte antigen (HLA) matching between patient and donor, with HLA-identical matched siblings being the preferred choice in most situations. Although other clinical and demographical variables matter, especially, donor age, which is unequivocally associated with better transplant outcomes, the histocompatibility criteria have a central role in the search for the best donor, particularly in the setting of unrelated allo-HSCT where HLA disparities between patient and donor are frequent. The present review is focused on the role of HLA incompatibilities on patient outcome according to the most recent literature, in an attempt to guide transplant physicians and search coordinators during the process of adult unrelated-donor selection. The technological progresses in HLA typing, i.e., with next-generation sequencing (NGS), now allow disclosing a growing number of HLA incompatibilities associated with a heterogeneous and sometimes unknown spectrum of clinical severity. Their immunogenic characteristics, i.e., their position inside or outside the antigen recognition domain (ARD), their permissiveness, their intronic or exonic nature and even the expected expression of the HLA loci where those mismatches occur, will be presented and discussed here, integrating the advances in the immunobiology of transplantation with survival and toxicity outcomes reported in the most relevant studies, within the perspective of improving donor selection in the current practice.

Impact of HLA Epitope Matching on Outcomes After Unrelated Bone Marrow Transplantation

The significance of antibody-identified epitopes stimulating humoral alloimmunity is not well understood in the identification of non-permissive human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatching patterns in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This was a retrospective study in a cohort of 9,991 patients who underwent their first HSCT for hematologic malignancies from unrelated bone marrow donors in the Transplant Registry Unified Management Program (TRUMP). HLA eplet mismatches (EMM) were quantified using HLAMatchmaker (HLAMM). The median age of patients was 48 years (range, 16 to 77). The number of EMM in recipient-donor pairs in our study population ranged from 0 to 37 in HLA class I (median, 0) and 0 to 60 in HLA class II (median, 1). In addition to the known high-risk mismatch patterns in the Japanese cohort, HLA-C EMM in the GVH direction was associated with a significantly higher risk for grade III-IV aGVHD, leading to a higher risk of non-relapse mortality and lower overall survival (compared with HLA-C matched patients, HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.44–1.95; HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.25–1.54; HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.10–1.30, respectively). HLAMM-based epitope matching might be useful for identifying patients who are at high risk for serious complications after HSCT from HLA mismatched unrelated donors.

HLA Class I Polymorphisms Influencing Both Peptide Binding and KIR Interactions Are Associated with Remission among Children with Atopic Dermatitis: A Longitudinal Study

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a disease of immune dysregulation and skin barrier dysfunction with a relapsing, remitting course and has been associated with several different genetic risk variants. HLA represent a highly variable set of genes that code for cell surface protein molecules involved in the Ag-specific immune response, including the regulation or functioning of T cells, NK cells, and APCs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate associations between HLA class I polymorphisms and the progression of AD over time. We evaluated the associations of AD symptoms and HLA class I polymorphisms based on high-resolution two-field typing in a longitudinal cohort of children with AD (up to 10 y of follow-up). Seven hundred and ninety-two children were evaluated every 6 mo, resulting in 12,752 AD evaluations. Using generalized estimating equations and corrected p values, B*44:02 was found to be associated with AD remission (1.83 [1.35, 2.47]; p = 0.0015). The HLA-B residues at position 116 (d-aspartate) and 80 (T-threonine) were associated with remission (1.42 [1.13, 1.76], p = 0.003; corrected p = 0.028) and (1.45 [1.17, 1.80], p = 0.0008; corrected p = 0.0024), respectively. B80T is a killer-cell Ig-like receptor (KIR) site. Our findings reveal that two axes of immune response (T cell and NK cell) may influence disease progression. Identifying binding pocket changes in addition to other factors (e.g., allergens) that increase the risk or severity of AD can improve our understanding of the immunologic mechanisms associated with AD and may lead to personalized therapies for improving patient care.

Preferential HLA-B27 Allorecognition Displayed by Multiple Cross-Reactive Antiviral CD8+ T Cell Receptors

T cells provide essential immunosurveillance to combat and eliminate infection from pathogens, yet these cells can also induce unwanted immune responses via T cell receptor (TCR) cross-reactivity, also known as heterologous immunity. Indeed, pathogen-induced TCR cross-reactivity has shown to be a common, robust, and functionally potent mechanism that can trigger a spectrum of human immunopathologies associated with either transplant rejection, drug allergy, and autoimmunity. Here, we report that several virus-specific CD8⁺ T cells directed against peptides derived from chronic viruses (EBV, CMV, and HIV-1) presented by high frequency HLA-A and -B allomorphs differentially cross-react toward HLA-B27 allotypes in a highly focused and hierarchical manner. Given the commonality of cross-reactive T cells and their potential contribution to adverse outcomes in allogeneic transplants, our study demonstrates that multiple antiviral T cells recognizing the same HLA allomorph could pose an extra layer of complexity for organ matching.

HLA Matching in Unrelated Stem Cell Transplantation up to Date

Unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has evolved from an experimental protocol to a potentially curative first-line treatment in certain disease instances. Factors enabling this transformation were the optimization of treatment protocols and supportive care as well as the availability of a large number of donors worldwide along with the higher quality and reliability of HLA typing. The main criterion for donor selection is HLA compatibility. In this review we discuss the current clinical evidence of HLA matching in unrelated HSCT. In this context, we address methodical aspects of transplantation immunobiology research and discuss the impact of locus and resolution of HLA differences. Furthermore, we address special constellations such as unidirectional mismatches or the presence of nonexpressed alleles as well as HLA alloimmunization and describe the perspective for HLA typing and matching strategies in the future, given the implementation of novel complete or near-complete gene typing approaches using next-generation sequencing short read technology, which are now entering the standard of clinical care.

HLA-C variants associated with amino acid substitutions in the peptide binding groove influence susceptibility to Kawasaki disease

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a pediatric vasculitis caused by an unknown trigger in genetically susceptible children. The incidence varies widely across genetically diverse populations. Several associations with HLA Class I alleles have been reported in single cohort studies. Using a genetic approach, from the nine single nucleotide variants (SNVs) associated with KD susceptibility in children of European descent, we identified SNVs near the HLA-C (rs6906846) and HLA-B genes (rs2254556) whose association was replicated in a Japanese descent cohort (rs6906846 p = 0.01, rs2254556 p = 0.005). The risk allele (A at rs6906846) was also associated with HLA-C*07:02 and HLA-C*04:01 in both US multi-ethnic and Japanese cohorts and HLA-C*12:02 only in the Japanese cohort. The risk A-allele was associated with eight non-conservative amino acid substitutions (amino acid positions); Asp or Ser (9), Arg (14), Ala (49), Ala (73), Ala (90), Arg (97), Phe or Ser (99), and Phe or Ser (116) in the HLA-C peptide binding groove that binds peptides for presentation to cytotoxic T cells (CTL). This raises the possibility of increased affinity to a "KD peptide" that contributes to the vasculitis of KD in genetically susceptible children.

Selection of unrelated donors and cord blood units for hematopoietic cell transplantation: guidelines from the NMDP/CIBMTR

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation involves consideration of both donor and recipient characteristics to guide the selection of a suitable graft. Sufficient high-resolution donor-recipient HLA match is of primary importance in transplantation with adult unrelated donors, using conventional graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis. In cord blood transplantation, optimal unit selection requires consideration of unit quality, cell dose and HLA-match. In this summary, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, jointly with the NMDP Histocompatibility Advisory Group, provide evidence-based guidelines for optimal selection of unrelated donors and cord blood units.

Exploratory Study of Predicted Indirectly ReCognizable HLA Epitopes in Mismatched Hematopoietic Cell Transplantations

HLA-mismatches in hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation are associated with an impaired overall survival (OS). The aim of this study is to explore whether the Predicted Indirectly ReCognizable HLA-Epitopes (PIRCHE) algorithm can be used to identify HLA-mismatches that are related to an impaired transplant outcome. PIRCHE are computationally predicted peptides derived from the patient's mismatched-HLA molecules that can be presented by donor-patient shared HLA. We retrospectively scored PIRCHE numbers either presented on HLA class-I (PIRCHE-I) or class-II (PIRCHE-II) for a Dutch multicenter cohort of 103 patients who received a single HLA-mismatched (9/10) unrelated donor transplant in an early phase of their disease. These patients were divided into low and high PIRCHE-I and PIRCHE-II groups, based on their PIRCHE scores, and compared using multivariate statistical analysis methods. The high PIRCHE-II group had a significantly impaired OS compared to the low PIRCHE-II group and the 10/10 reference group (HR: 1.86, 95%-CI: 1.02–3.40; and HR: 2.65, 95%-CI: 1.53–4.60, respectively). Overall, PIRCHE-II seem to have a more prominent effect on OS than PIRCHE-I. This impaired OS is probably due to an increased risk for severe acute graft-vs.-host disease. These data suggest that high PIRCHE-II scores may be used to identify non-permissible HLA mismatches within single HLA-mismatched hematopoietic stem-cell transplantations.

Indications for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for haematological diseases, solid tumours and immune disorders: current practice in Europe, 2019

This is the seventh special EBMT report on the indications for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for haematological diseases, solid tumours and immune disorders. Our aim is to provide general guidance on transplant indications according to prevailing clinical practice in EBMT countries and centres. In order to inform patient decisions, these recommendations must be considered together with the risk of the disease, the risk of the transplant procedure and the results of non-transplant strategies. In over two decades since the first report, the EBMT indications manuscripts have incorporated changes in transplant practice coming from scientific and technical developments in the field. In this same period, the establishment of JACIE accreditation has promoted high quality and led to improved outcomes of patient and donor care and laboratory performance in transplantation and cellular therapy. An updated report with operating definitions, revised indications and an additional set of data with overall survival at 1 year and non-relapse mortality at day 100 after transplant in the commonest standard-of-care indications is presented. Additional efforts are currently underway to enable EBMT member centres to benchmark their risk-adapted outcomes as part of the Registry upgrade Project 2020 against national and/or international outcome data.

In silico prediction of nonpermissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches in unrelated HCT by functional distance

In silico prediction of high-risk donor-recipient HLA mismatches after unrelated donor (UD) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is an attractive, yet elusive, objective. Nonpermissive T-cell epitope (TCE) group mismatches were defined by alloreactive T-cell cross-reactivity for 52/80 HLA-DPB1 alleles (TCE-X). More recently, a numerical functional distance (FD) scoring system for in silico prediction of TCE groups based on the median impact of exon 2-encoded amino acid polymorphism on T-cell alloreactivity was developed for all DPB1 alleles (TCE-FD), including the 28/80 common alleles not assigned by TCE-X. We compared clinical outcome associations of nonpermissive DPB1 mismatches defined by TCE-X or TCE-FD in 8/8 HLA-matched UD-HCT for acute leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, and chronic myelogenous leukemia between 1999 and 2011 (N = 2730). Concordance between the 2 models was 92.3%, with most differences arising from DPB1*06:01 and DPB1*19:01 being differently assigned by TCE-X and TCE-FD. In both models, nonpermissive mismatches were associated with reduced overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.15, P < .006 and HR, 1.12, P < .03), increased transplant-related mortality (HR, 1.31, P < .001 and HR, 1.26, P < .001) as well as acute (HR, 1.16, P < .02 and HR, 1.22, P < .001) and chronic (HR, 1.20, P < .003 and HR, 1.22, P < .001) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We show that in silico prediction of nonpermissive DPB1 mismatches significantly associated with major transplant outcomes is feasible for any DPB1 allele with known exon 2 sequence based on experimentally elaborated FD scores. This proof-of-principle observation opens new avenues for developing HLA risk-prediction models in HCT and has practical implications for UD searches.

Determining the Quantitative Principles of T Cell Response to Antigenic Disparity in Stem Cell Transplantation

Alloreactivity compromising clinical outcomes in stem cell transplantation is observed despite HLA matching of donors and recipients. This has its origin in the variation between the exomes of the two, which provides the basis for minor histocompatibility antigens (mHA). The mHA presented on the HLA class I and II molecules and the ensuing T cell response to these antigens results in graft vs. host disease. In this paper, results of a whole exome sequencing study are presented, with resulting alloreactive polymorphic peptides and their HLA class I and HLA class II (DRB1) binding affinity quantified. Large libraries of potentially alloreactive recipient peptides binding both sets of molecules were identified, with HLA-DRB1 generally presenting a greater number of peptides. These results are used to develop a quantitative framework to understand the immunobiology of transplantation. A tensor-based approach is used to derive the equations needed to determine the alloreactive donor T cell response from the mHA-HLA binding affinity and protein expression data. This approach may be used in future studies to simulate the magnitude of expected donor T cell response and determine the risk for alloreactive complications in HLA matched or mismatched hematopoietic cell and solid organ transplantation.

In celebration of Ruggero Ceppellini: HLA in transplantation

The availability of hematopoietic cell transplantation as curative therapy for blood disorders has been dramatically improved through a better understanding of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) barrier. Although a fully compatible unrelated donor is preferable, transplantation from donors with a limited degree of HLA mismatching is associated with acceptable outcomes in many cases. Research on the limits of HLA mismatching, and the features that define permissible HLA mismatches will continue to enable transplantation to be more broadly available to patients in need.

What compatibility in 2017 for the haematopoietic stem cell transplantation?

The diversification of potential donors to perform stem cell allografts now enables to propose a compatible graft cell source adapted to the different clinical situations. Transplants with a geno-identical sibling donor, otherwise with the most HLA-compatible unrelated donor, remain the first-line solutions. Alternative transplants allow to graft patients having no donors in international registries, owing to the rarity of their HLA typing. They are carried out with fairly incompatible grafts and are therefore limited by the existence in the recipient of preformed anti-HLA antibodies which predispose to their rejection. The simple prevention of acute Graft-versus-host disease in haplo-identical transplants, as well as the availability of donors, explain why they have very often replaced placental stem cell transplants. These latter remain useful for pediatric patients or in the absence of family donors.

Role of major histocompatibility complex variation in graft-versus-host disease after hematopoietic cell transplantation

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a significant potentially life-threatening complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Since the discovery of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system over 50 years ago, significant advances have clarified the nature of HLA variation between transplant recipients and donors as a chief etiology of GVHD. New information on coding and non-coding gene variation and GVHD risk provides clinicians with options to consider selected mismatched donors when matched donors are not available. These advances have increased the availability of unrelated donors for patients in need of a transplant and have lowered the overall morbidity and mortality of HCT.

Allorecognition of HLA-C Mismatches by CD8+ T Cells in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Is a Complex Interplay between Mismatched Peptide-Binding Region Residues, HLA-C Expression, and HLA-DPB1 Disparities

HLA-C locus mismatches (MMs) are the most frequent class I disparities in unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and have a detrimental impact on clinical outcome. Recently, a few retrospective clinical studies have reported some variability in the immunogenicity of HLA-C incompatibilities. To get better insight into presumably permissive HLA-C MMs, we have developed a one-way in vitro mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay allowing to quantify activated CD56^-CD137⁺CD8⁺ lymphocytes in HLA-C incompatible combinations. T cell-mediated alloresponses were correlated with genetic markers such as HLA-C mRNA expression and the number of amino acid (aa) MMs in the α1/α2 domains (peptide-binding region). Because of the high rate of HLA-DPB1 incompatibilities in HLA-A-, B-, C-, DRB1-, and DQB1-matched unrelated HSCT patient/donor pairs, the impact of HLA-DPB1 mismatching, a potential bystander of CD4⁺ T cell activation, was also considered. Heterogeneous alloresponses were measured in 63 HLA-C-mismatched pairs with a positive assay in 52% of the combinations (2.3-18.6% activated CTLs), representing 24 different HLA-A~B~DRB1~DQB1 haplotypes. There was no correlation between measured alloresponses and mRNA expression of the mismatched HLA-C alleles. The HLA-C*03:03/03:04 MM did not induce any positive alloresponse in five MLRs. We also identified HLA-C*02:02 and HLA-C*06:02 as mismatched alleles with lower immunogenicity, and HLA-C*14:02 as a more immunogenic MM. A difference of at least 10 aa residues known to impact peptide/T cell receptor (TCR) binding and a bystander HLA-DPB1 incompatibility had a significant impact on CTL alloreactivity (p = 0.021). The same HLA-C MM, when recognized by two different responders with the same HLA haplotypes, was recognized differently, emphasizing the role of the T-cell repertoire of responding cells. In conclusion, mismatched HLA-C alleles differing by 10 or more aas in the peptide/TCR-binding region, when occurring together with HLA-DPB1 incompatibilities, should be considered as high-risk MMs in unrelated HSCT.

How to select the best available related or unrelated donor of hematopoietic stem cells?

Recognition of HLA incompatibilities by the immune system represents a major barrier to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. HLA genotypically identical sibling donors are, therefore, the gold standard for transplantation purposes, but only 30% patients have such a donor. For the remaining 70% patients alternative sources of stem cells are a matched unrelated adult volunteer donor, a haploidentical donor or a cord blood unit. The definition of 'HLA matching' depends on the level of resolution and on which loci are tested. The development of HLA molecular typing technologies and the availability of more than 27 million donors in the international database has greatly facilitated unrelated donor searches. The gold standard is high resolution typing at the HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DQB1 loci (10/10 match). Single disparities for HLA-A, -B, - C, or -DRB1 are associated with increased risk of post-transplant complications, but less so in patients with advanced disease, and in those undergoing T-cell-depleted allografting. HLA-DQB1 mismatches seem to be better tolerated and some HLA-C, -DRB1 and -DPB1 disparities are potentially less immunogenic. HLA typing by next-generation sequencing methods is likely to change matching algorithms by providing full sequence information on all HLA loci in a single step. In most European populations a 10/10 matched donor can be found for at least 50% of patients and an additional 20-30% patients may have a 9/10 matched donor. Genetic factors that help in identifying donors with less immunogenic mismatches are discussed. Haploidentical donors are increasingly used as an alternative source of stem cells for those patients lacking a matched unrelated donor.

HLA class I molecular variation and peptide-binding properties suggest a model of joint divergent asymmetric selection

The main function of HLA class I molecules is to present pathogen-derived peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes. This function is assumed to drive the maintenance of an extraordinary amount of polymorphism at each HLA locus, providing an immune advantage to heterozygote individuals capable to present larger repertories of peptides than homozygotes. This seems contradictory, however, with a reduced diversity at individual HLA loci exhibited by some isolated populations. This study shows that the level of functional diversity predicted for the two HLA-A and HLA-B genes considered simultaneously is similar (almost invariant) between 46 human populations, even when a reduced diversity exists at each locus. We thus propose that HLA-A and HLA-B evolved through a model of joint divergent asymmetric selection conferring all populations an equivalent immune potential. The distinct pattern observed for HLA-C is explained by its functional evolution towards killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) activity regulation rather than peptide presentation.

Identification of high-risk amino-acid substitutions in hematopoietic cell transplantation: a challenging task

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) offers the potential to cure hematologic malignancies. In the absence of an HLA-matched donor, HLA mismatched unrelated donors may be used, although risks of GvHD and treatment-related mortality (TRM) are higher. Identification and avoidance of amino-acid substitution and position types (AASPT) conferring higher risks of TRM and GvHD would potentially improve the success of transplantation from single HLA mismatched unrelated donors. Using random forest and logistic regression analyses, we identified 19 AASPT associated with greater risks for at least one adverse transplant outcome: grade III-IV acute GvHD, TRM, lower disease-free survival or worse overall survival relative to HLA-matched unrelated donors and to other AASPT. When tested in an independent validation cohort of 3530 patients, none of the AASPT from the training set were validated as high risk, however. Review of the literature shows that failure to validate original observations is the rule and not the exception in immunobiology and emphasizes the importance of independent validation before clinical application. Our current data do not support avoiding any specific class I AASPT for unrelated donors. Additional studies should be performed to fully understand the role of AASPT in HCT outcomes.

Functional distance between recipient and donor HLA-DPB1 determines nonpermissive mismatches in unrelated HCT

The role of HLA amino acid (AA) polymorphism for the outcome of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is controversial, in particular for HLA class II. Here, we investigated this question in nonpermissive HLA-DPB1 T-cell epitope (TCE) mismatches reflected by numerical functional distance (FD) scores, assignable to all HLA-DPB1 alleles based on the combined impact of 12 polymorphic AAs. We calculated the difference in FD scores (ΔFD) of mismatched HLA-DPB1 alleles in patients and their 10/10 HLA-matched unrelated donors of 379 HCTs performed at our center for acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome. Receiver-operator curve-based stratification into 2 ΔFD subgroups showed a significantly higher percentage of nonpermissive TCE mismatches for ΔFD >2.665, compared with ΔFD ≤2.665 (88% vs 25%, P < .0001). In multivariate analysis, ΔFD >2.665 was significantly associated with overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.87; P < .021) and event-free survival (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.05-1.82; P < .021), compared with ΔFD ≤2.665. These associations were stronger than those observed for TCE mismatches. There was a marked but not statistically significant increase in the hazards of relapse and nonrelapse mortality in the high ΔFD subgroup, whereas no differences were observed for acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease. Seven nonconservative AA substitutions in peptide-binding positions had a significantly stronger impact on ΔFD compared with 5 others (P = .0025), demonstrating qualitative differences in the relative impact of AA polymorphism in HLA-DPB1. The novel concept of ΔFD sheds new light onto nonpermissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches in unrelated HCT.

High-risk HLA alleles for severe acute graft-versus-host disease and mortality in unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation

HLA molecules play an important role for immunoreactivity in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. To elucidate the effect of specific HLA alleles on acute graft-versus-host disease, we conducted a retrospective analysis using 6967 Japanese patients transplanted with T-cell-replete marrow from an unrelated donor. Using unbiased searches of patient and donor HLA alleles, patient and/or donor HLA-B*51:01 (patient: HR, 1.37,P<0.001; donor: HR, 1.35,P<0.001) and patient HLA-C*14:02 (HR, 1.35,P<0.001) were significantly associated with an increased risk of severe acute graft-versus-host disease. The finding that donor HLA-C*14:02 was not associated with severe acute graft-versus-host disease prompted us to elucidate the relation of these high-risk HLA alleles with patient and donor HLA-C allele mismatches. In comparison to HLA-C allele match, patient mismatched HLA-C*14:02 showed the highest risk of severe acute graft-versus-host disease (HR, 3.61,P<0.001) and transplant-related mortality (HR, 2.53,P<0.001) among all patient mismatched HLA-C alleles. Although patient HLA-C*14:02 and donor HLA-C*15:02 mismatch was usually KIR2DL-ligand mismatch in the graft-versus-host direction, the risk of patient mismatched HLA-C*14:02 for severe acute graft-versus-host disease was obvious regardless of KIR2DL-ligand matching. The effect of patient and/or donor HLA-B*51:01 on acute graft-versus-host disease was attributed not only to strong linkage disequilibrium of HLA-C*14:02 and -B*51:01, but also to the effect of HLA-B*51:01 itself. With regard to clinical implications, patient mismatched HLA-C*14:02 proved to be a potent risk factor for severe acute graft-versus-host disease and mortality, and should be considered a non-permissive HLA-C mismatch in donor selection for unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Four amino acid exchanges located in the alpha-2 domain specify the novel HLA-B*50:20 allele

HLA-B*50:20 contains seven nucleotide substitutions leading to four amino acid changes in the alpha-2 domain.

Zooming into the binding groove of HLA molecules: which positions and which substitutions change peptide binding most?

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes are the most polymorphic genes in the human genome. Almost all polymorphic residues are located in the peptide-binding groove, resulting in different peptide-binding preferences. Whether a single amino acid change can alter the peptide-binding repertoire of an HLA molecule has never been shown. To experimentally quantify the contribution of a single amino acid change to the peptide repertoire of even a single HLA molecule requires an immense number of HLA peptide-binding measurements. Therefore, we used an in silico method to study the effect of single mutations on the peptide repertoires. We predicted the peptide-binding repertoire of a large set of HLA molecules and used the overlap of the peptide-binding repertoires of each pair of HLA molecules that differ on a single position to measure how much single substitutions change the peptide binding. We found that the effect of a single substitution in the peptide-binding groove depends on the substituted position and the amino acids involved. The positions that alter peptide binding most are the most polymorphic ones, while those that are hardly variable among HLA molecules have the lowest effect on the peptide repertoire. Although expected, the relationship between functional divergence and polymorphism of HLA molecules has never been shown before. Additionally, we show that a single substitution in HLA-B molecules has more effect on the peptide-binding repertoire compared to that in HLA-A molecules. This provides an (alternative) explanation for the larger polymorphism of HLA-B molecules compared to HLA-A molecules.

Indications for allo- and auto-SCT for haematological diseases, solid tumours and immune disorders: current practice in Europe, 2015

This is the sixth special report that the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation regularly publishes on the current practice and indications for haematopoietic SCT for haematological diseases, solid tumours and immune disorders in Europe. Major changes have occurred in the field of haematopoietic SCT over the last years. Cord blood units as well as haploidentical donors have been increasingly used as stem cell sources for allo-SCT, thus, augmenting the possibility of finding a suitable donor for a patient. Continuous refinement of conditioning strategies has also expanded not only the number of potential indications but also has permitted consideration of older patients or those with co-morbidity for a transplant. There is accumulating evidence of the role of haematopoietic SCT in non-haematological disorders such as autoimmune diseases. On the other hand, the advent of new drugs and very effective targeted therapy has challenged the role of SCT in some instances or at least, modified its position in the treatment armamentarium of a given patient. An updated report with revised tables and operating definitions is presented.

HLA-C expression levels define permissible mismatches in hematopoietic cell transplantation

Life-threatening graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) limits the use of HLA-C-mismatched unrelated donors in transplantation. Clinicians lack criteria for donor selection when HLA-C-mismatched donors are a patient's only option for cure. We examined the role for HLA-C expression levels to identify permissible HLA-C mismatches. The median fluorescence intensity, a proxy of HLA-C expression, was assigned to each HLA-C allotype in 1975 patients and their HLA-C-mismatched unrelated transplant donors. The association of outcome with the level of expression of patients' and donors' HLA-C allotypes was evaluated in multivariable models. Increasing expression level of the patient's mismatched HLA-C allotype was associated with increased risks of grades III to IV acute GVHD, nonrelapse mortality, and mortality. Increasing expression level among HLA-C mismatches with residue 116 or residue 77/80 mismatching was associated with increased nonrelapse mortality. The immunogenicity of HLA-C mismatches in unrelated donor transplantation is influenced by the expression level of the patient's mismatched HLA-C allotype. HLA-C expression levels provide new information on mismatches that should be avoided and extend understanding of HLA-C-mediated immune responses in human disease.

Association between CTL Precursor Frequency to HLA-C Mismatches and HLA-C Antigen Cell Surface Expression

Previous studies showed the relevance of the cytotoxic T-cell precursor (CTLp) frequency assay for prediction of the outcome of HLA mismatched hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Recently, it has been shown that HLA-C cell surface expression is correlated with virus specific cytotoxic T-cell responses and viremia control in HIV patients. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between HLA-C antigen expression and the CTLp frequency to the mismatched HLA-C antigen. In total 115 recipient-donor pairs, for whom a successful CTLp assay was performed, were evaluated for this pilot study. All donor-recipient pairs were matched at 9/10 alleles with a single mismatch at the HLA-C locus. Antigen expression level of the mismatched HLA-C allele for each recipient and donor was based on the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) values as described by Apps et al. (1). The cell surface expression of recipient's mismatched HLA-C antigen was significantly lower among CTLp negative (n = 59) compared to CTLp positive (n = 56) pairs (154 and 193 MFI units, respectively, p = 0.0031). This difference was more pronounced in donor-recipient pairs that were mismatched for amino-acid residue-116 located in the groove of the HLA-C antigen, suggesting that the importance of peptide binding in the allo-recognition. Furthermore, in the particular case of low expression of the recipient mismatched HLA-C antigen (MFI < 115), CTLp reactivity depended on HLA-C expression level in the donor, the median MFI of donor's mismatched HLA-C antigen was 114 in CTLp negative cases (n = 26), while in CTLp positive cases (n = 15) the median MFI of donor's HLA-C antigen was 193 (p = 0.0093). We conclude that the expression level of the donor and recipient mismatched HLA-C antigens affect CTLp outcome. HLA-C antigen expression levels in combination with the CTLp assay may prove useful for the prediction of the clinical outcome of HLA-C mismatched HCT.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation donor sources in the 21st century: choosing the ideal donor when a perfect match does not exist

Most patients who require allogeneic stem cell transplantation do not have a matched sibling donor, and many patients do not have a matched unrelated donor. In an effort to increase the applicability of transplantation, alternative donors such as mismatched adult unrelated donors, haploidentical related donors, and umbilical cord blood stem cell products are frequently used when a well matched donor is unavailable. We do not yet have the benefit of randomized trials comparing alternative donor stem cell sources to inform the choice of donor; however, the existing data allow some inferences to be made on the basis of existing observational and phase 2 studies. All 3 alternative donor sources can provide effective lymphohematopoietic reconstitution, but time to engraftment, graft failure rate, graft-versus-host disease, transplant-related mortality, and relapse risk vary by donor source. These factors all contribute to survival outcomes and an understanding of them should help guide clinicians when choosing among alternative donor sources when a matched related or matched unrelated donor is not available.

HLA-C Incompatibilities in Allogeneic Unrelated Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

An increasingly larger fraction of patients with hematological diseases are treated by hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (HSCT) from HLA matched unrelated donors. Polymorphisms of HLA genes represent a major barrier to HSCT because HLA-A, -B, -C and DRB1 incompatibilities confer a higher risk of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) and mortality. Although >22 million volunteer HLA-typed donors are available worldwide, still a significant number of patients do not find a highly matched HSC donor. Because of the large haplotypic diversity in HLA-B–C associations, incompatibilities occur most frequently at HLA-C, so that unrelated donors with a single HLA-C mismatch often represent the only possible choice. The ratio of HLA-C-mismatched HSCT over the total number of transplants varies from 15 to 30%, as determined in 12 multicenter studies. Six multicenter studies involving >1800 patients have reported a 21–43% increase in mortality risk. By using in vitro cellular assays, a large heterogeneity in T-cell allorecognition has been observed. Yet the permissiveness of individual HLA-C mismatches remains poorly defined. It could be linked to the position and nature of the mismatched residues on HLA-C molecules, but also to variability in the expression levels of the mismatched alleles. The permissive C*03:03–03:04 mismatch is characterized by full compatibility at residues 9, 97, 99, 116, 152, 156, and 163 reported to be key positions influencing T-cell allorecognition. With a single difference among these seven key residues the C*07:01–07:02 mismatch might also be considered by analogy as permissive. High variability of HLA-C expression as determined by quantitative RT-PCR has been observed within individual allotypes and shows some correlation with A–B–C–DRB1 haplotypes. Thus in addition to the position of mismatched amino acid residues, expression level of patient’s mismatched HLA-C allotype might influence T-cell allorecognition, with patients low expression-C alleles representing possible permissive mismatches.

Predicting alloreactivity in transplantation

Human leukocyte Antigen (HLA) mismatching leads to severe complications after solid-organ transplantation and hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. The alloreactive responses underlying the posttransplantation complications include both direct recognition of allogeneic HLA by HLA-specific alloantibodies and T cells and indirect T-cell recognition. However, the immunogenicity of HLA mismatches is highly variable; some HLA mismatches lead to severe clinical B-cell- and T-cell-mediated alloreactivity, whereas others are well tolerated. Definition of the permissibility of HLA mismatches prior to transplantation allows selection of donor-recipient combinations that will have a reduced chance to develop deleterious host-versus-graft responses after solid-organ transplantation and graft-versus-host responses after hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. Therefore, several methods have been developed to predict permissible HLA-mismatch combinations. In this review we aim to give a comprehensive overview about the current knowledge regarding HLA-directed alloreactivity and several developed in vitro and in silico tools that aim to predict direct and indirect alloreactivity.

A closer look at permissive HLA mismatch

In this issue of Blood, Pidala et al add a missing piece of information on the impact of amino acid substitutions (AASs) at specific peptide positions of class I antigens.

Amino acid substitution at peptide-binding pockets of HLA class I molecules increases risk of severe acute GVHD and mortality

HLA disparity has a negative impact on the outcomes of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We studied the independent impact of amino acid substitution (AAS) at peptide-binding positions 9, 99, 116, and 156, and killer immunoglobulin-like receptor binding position 77 of HLA-A, B, or C, on the risks for grade 3-4 acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), chronic GVHD, treatment-related mortality (TRM), relapse, and overall survival. In multivariate analysis, a mismatch at HLA-C position 116 was associated with increased risk for severe acute GVHD (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15-1.82, P = .0016). Mismatch at HLA-C position 99 was associated with increased transplant-related mortality (HR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.1-1.69, P = .0038). Mismatch at HLA-B position 9 was associated with increased chronic GVHD (HR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.36-3.82, P = .0018). No AAS were significantly associated with outcome at HLA-A. Specific AAS pair combinations with a frequency >30 were tested for association with HCT outcomes. Cysteine to tyrosine substitution at position 99 of HLA-C was associated with increased TRM (HR = 1.78, 95% = CI 1.27-2.51, P = .0009). These results demonstrate that donor-recipient mismatch for certain peptide-binding residues of the HLA class I molecule is associated with increased risk for acute and chronic GVHD and death.

Effects of transmembrane region variability on cell surface expression and allorecognition of HLA-DP3

The functional relevance of polymorphisms outside the peptide binding groove of HLA molecules is poorly understood. Here we have addressed this issue by studying HLA-DP3, a common antigen relevant for functional matching algorithms of unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) encoded by two transmembrane (TM) region variants, DPB1(*)03:01 and DPB1(*)104:01. The two HLA-DP3 variants were found at a overall allelic frequency of 10.4% in 201 volunteer stem cell donors, at a ratio of 4.2:1. No significant differences were observed in cell surface expression levels of the two variants on B lymphoblastoid cell lines (BLCL), primary B cells or monocytes. Three different alloreactive T cell lines or clones showed similar levels of activation marker CD107a and/or CD137 upregulation in response to HLA-DP3 encoded by DPB1(*)03:01 and DPB1(*)104:01, either endogenously on BLCL or after lentiveral-vector mediated transfer into the same cellular background. These data provide, for the first time, direct evidence for a limited functional role of a TM region polymorphism on expression and allorecognition of HLA-DP3 and are compatible with the notion that the two variants can be considered as a single functional entity for unrelated stem cell donor selection.

Genetics of graft-versus-host disease: the major histocompatibility complex

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a potentially life-threatening complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Many genes are presumed to be involved in GVHD, but the best characterized genetic system is that of the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) located on chromosome 6. Among the hundreds of genes located within the MHC region, the best known and characterized are the classical HLA genes, HLA-A, C, B, DRB1, DQB1, and DPB1. They play a fundamental role in T cell immune responses, and HLA-A, C, and B also function as ligands for the natural killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors involved in innate immunity. This review highlights the state-of-the art in the field of histocompatibility and immunogenetics of the MHC with respect to genetic risk factors for GVHD.

Role of HLA in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

The selection of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) donors includes a rigorous assessment of the availability and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) match status of donors. HLA plays a critical role in HSCT, but its involvement in HSCT is constantly in flux because of changing technologies and variations in clinical transplantation results. The increased availability of HSCT through the use of HLA-mismatched related and unrelated donors is feasible with a more complete understanding of permissible HLA mismatches and the role of killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genes in HSCT. The influence of nongenetic factors on the tolerability of HLA mismatching has recently become evident, demonstrating a need for the integration of both genetic and nongenetic variables in donor selection.

Predicting HLA class I non-permissive amino acid residues substitutions

Prediction of peptide binding to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules is essential to a wide range of clinical entities from vaccine design to stem cell transplant compatibility. Here we present a new structure-based methodology that applies robust computational tools to model peptide-HLA (p-HLA) binding interactions. The method leverages the structural conservation observed in p-HLA complexes to significantly reduce the search space and calculate the system’s binding free energy. This approach is benchmarked against existing p-HLA complexes and the prediction performance is measured against a library of experimentally validated peptides. The effect on binding activity across a large set of high-affinity peptides is used to investigate amino acid mismatches reported as high-risk factors in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Graft-versus-host disease: part I. Pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of graft-versus-host disease

Approximately 25,000 allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplants are performed worldwide each year for a variety of malignant and non-malignant conditions. Graft-versus-host disease represents one of the most frequent complications and is a major source of long-term morbidity and mortality. Whereas acute graft-versus-host disease is induced by recognition of host tissues as foreign by immunocompetent donor cells, the pathogenesis of chronic graft-versus-host disease is not as well understood, and continues to be a major treatment challenge. Part I of this two-part series reviews the epidemiologic factors, classification, pathogenesis, and clinical manifestations of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease. Part II discusses the topical, physical, and systemic treatment options available to patients with graft-versus-host disease.

Effect of T-cell-epitope matching at HLA-DPB1 in recipients of unrelated-donor haemopoietic-cell transplantation: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

The risks after unrelated-donor haemopoietic-cell transplantation with matched HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-DRB1, HLA-DQB1 alleles between donor and recipient (10/10 matched) can be decreased by selection of unrelated donors who also match for HLA-DPB1; however, such donors are difficult to find. Classification of HLA-DPB1 mismatches based on T-cell-epitope groups could identify mismatches that might be tolerated (permissive) and those that would increase risks (non-permissive) after transplantation. We did a retrospective study to compare outcomes between permissive and non-permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches in unrelated-donor haemopoietic-cell transplantation.

METHODS

HLA and clinical data for unrelated-donor [corrected] transplantations submitted to the International Histocompatibility Working Group in haemopoietic-cell transplantation were analysed retrospectively. HLA-DPB1 T-cell-epitope groups were assigned according to a functional algorithm based on alloreactive T-cell crossreactivity patterns. Recipients and unrelated donors matching status were classified as HLA-DPB1 match, non-permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatch (those with mismatched T-cell-epitope groups), or permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatch (those with matched T-cell-epitope groups). The clinical outcomes assessed were overall mortality, non-relapse mortality, relapse, and severe (grade 3-4) acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD).

FINDINGS

Of 8539 transplantations, 5428 (64%) were matched for ten of ten HLA alleles (HLA 10/10 matched) and 3111 (36%) for nine of ten alleles (HLA 9/10 matched). Of the group overall, 1719 (20%) were HLA-DPB1 matches, 2670 (31%) non-permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches, and 4150 (49%) permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches. In HLA 10/10-matched transplantations, non-permissive mismatches were associated with a significantly increased risk of overall mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1·15, 95% CI 1·05-1·25; p=0·002), non-relapse mortality (1·28, 1·14-1·42; p<0·0001), and severe aGvHD (odds ratio [OR] 1·31, 95% CI 1·11-1·54; p=0·001), but not relapse (HR 0·89, 95% CI 0·77-1·02; p=0·10), compared with permissive mismatches. There were significant differences between permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches and HLA-DPB1 matches in terms of non-relapse mortality (0·86, 0·75-0·98; p=0·03) and relapse (1·34, 1·17-1·54; p<0·0001), but not for overall mortality (0·96, 0·87-1·06; p=0·40) or aGvHD (OR 0·84, 95% CI 0·69-1·03; p=0·09). In the HLA 9/10 matched population, non-permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches also increased the risk of overall mortality (HR 1·10, 95% CI 1·00-1·22; p=0·06), non-relapse mortality (1·19, 1·05-1·36; p=0·007), and severe aGvHD (OR 1·37, 95% CI 1·13-1·66; p=0·002) compared with permissive mismatches, but the risk of relapse was the same in both groups (HR 0·93, 95% CI 0·78-1·11; p=0·44). Outcomes for HLA 10/10-matched transplantations with non-permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches did not differ substantially from those for HLA 9/10-matched transplantations with permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches or HLA-DPB1 matches.

INTERPRETATION

T-cell-epitope matching defines permissive and non-permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches. Avoidance of an unrelated donor with a non-permissive T-cell-epitope mismatch at HLA-DPB1 might provide a practical clinical strategy for lowering the risks of mortality after unrelated-donor haemopoietic-cell transplantation.

FUNDING

National Institutes of Health; Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro; Telethon Foundation; Italian Ministry of Health; Cariplo Foundation; National Cancer Institute; National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Office of Naval Research; IRGHET Paris; Swedish Cancer Society; Children's Cancer Foundation; Swedish Research Council; Cancer Society in Stockholm; Karolinska Institutet; and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Identification by random forest method of HLA class I amino acid substitutions associated with lower survival at day 100 in unrelated donor hematopoietic cell transplantation

The identification of important amino acid substitutions associated with low survival in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is hampered by the large number of observed substitutions compared to the small number of patients available for analysis. Random forest analysis is designed to address these limitations. We studied 2,107 HCT recipients with good or intermediate risk hematologic malignancies to identify HLA class I amino acid substitutions associated with reduced survival at day 100 post-transplant. Random forest analysis and traditional univariate and multivariate analyses were used. Random forest analysis identified amino acid substitutions in 33 positions that were associated with reduced 100 day survival, including HLA-A 9, 43, 62, 63, 76, 77, 95, 97, 114, 116, 152, 156, 166, and 167; HLA-B 97, 109, 116, and 156; and HLA-C 6, 9, 11, 14, 21, 66, 77, 80, 95, 97, 99, 116, 156, 163, and 173. Thirteen had been previously reported by other investigators using classical biostatistical approaches. Using the same dataset, traditional multivariate logistic regression identified only 5 amino acid substitutions associated with lower day 100 survival. Random forest analysis is a novel statistical methodology for analysis of HLA-mismatching and outcome studies, capable of identifying important amino acid substitutions missed by other methods.

Evaluation of DRB1 high resolution typing by a new SSO-based Luminex method

HLA testing is an essential part of the process to identify a donor who may be a good match for the patients who need haematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow, peripheral blood or cord blood and the DNA typing in high resolution is now recommended as the Scientific Societies also describe in their standards. Recently the new PCR-Luminex HLA typing method, based on the reverse sequence specific oligonucleotide probes coupled with a microsphere beads in an array platform, has been well established. We report the data from 146 samples previously typed to a four digits level and used to evaluate the accuracy, sensitivity and performance of the new high definition DRB1 by PCR-Luminex kit. One hundred and forty-six samples from unrelated healthy donors, haematological patients or external proficiency tests were used in this study. The Luminex high definition DRB1 typing represents a versatile method and may be easily introduced in the routine, particularly when the technical team has already acquired experience on the technique. Only few HLA allelic combinations need an additional typing by PCR-SSP or SBT to solve the ambiguous results thus reducing the time necessary to produce a final report.

HLA mismatches and hematopoietic cell transplantation: structural simulations assess the impact of changes in peptide binding specificity on transplant outcome

The success of hematopoietic cell transplantation from an unrelated donor depends in part on the degree of Human Histocompatibility Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) matching between donor and patient. We present a structure-based analysis of HLA mismatching, focusing on individual amino acid mismatches and their effect on peptide binding specificity. Using molecular modeling simulations of HLA-peptide interactions, we find evidence that amino acid mismatches predicted to perturb peptide binding specificity are associated with higher risk of mortality in a large and diverse dataset of patient-donor pairs assembled by the International Histocompatibility Working Group in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation consortium. This analysis may represent a first step toward sequence-based prediction of relative risk for HLA allele mismatches.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: the state of the art

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a potentially curative procedure for a variety of hematologic malignancies. The field has evolved substantially over the past decade, with advances in patient and donor selection, stem cell sources, supportive care, prevention of complications and reduced-toxicity preparative regimens. As a result, the indications for HCT and the pool of eligible patients have expanded significantly. In this article, we provide an overview of the major aspects of allogeneic HCT, and focus specifically on areas of active research and on novel approaches to challenges in the field. Specifically, we will discuss approaches to reduce the toxicity of the preparative regimen, with the goal of increasing the safety and applicability of HCT. The availability of suitable donors may be an obstacle to wider application of HCT. We review three major approaches to broadening the donor pool: the use of HLA-mismatched unrelated donors, umbilical cord blood and HLA-haploidentical family donors. Graft-versus-host disease remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality after HCT. We review recent advances in the understanding of this phenomenon, and novel prophylactic and therapeutic approaches that hold the promise of further improving the safety of the procedure. We conclude with a speculative outline of the next 5 years of research in the field of HCT.

HLA-DPB1 mismatching results in the generation of a full repertoire of HLA-DPB1-specific CD4+ T cell responses showing immunogenicity of all HLA-DPB1 alleles

Clinical studies have indicated that HLA-DPB1 functions as a classical transplantation antigen in allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Mismatching for HLA-DPB1 was associated with an increased risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), but also a decreased risk of disease relapse. However, specific HLA-DPB1 mismatches were associated with poor clinical outcome. It was suggested that this unfavorable effect was caused by a difference in immunogenicity between HLA-DPB1 alleles. To analyze whether immunogenicity of HLA-DPB1 mismatches could be predicted based on the presence or absence of specific amino acid sequences we developed a model to generate allo-HLA-DPB1 responses in vitro. We tested in total 48 different stimulator/responder combinations by stimulating CD4(+) T cells from 5 HLA-DPB1 homozygous individuals with the same antigen-presenting cells transduced with different allo-HLA-DPB1 molecules. HLA-DPB1 molecules used for stimulation comprised 76% to 99% of HLA-DPB1 molecules present in different ethnic populations. We show that all HLA-DPB1 mismatches as defined by allele typing resulted in high-frequency immune responses. Furthermore, we show that crossrecognition of different HLA-DPB1 molecules is a broadly observed phenomenon. We confirm previously described patterns in crossrecognition, and demonstrate that a high degree in similarity between HLA-DPB1 molecules is predictive for crossrecognition, but not for immunogenicity.