Tissue typing

[funkytown]

A couple of HLA related questions:

 

1. Why is HLA matching not so important in kidney transplantation, but critically important in stem cell transplantation?

 

2. Kidney transplant tissue typing refers to the HLA-DR antigen whereas stem cell transplant tissue typing refers to the HLA-DRB1 antigen. Is there any difference between "DR" and "DRB1"?

 

Cheers!

[zyncod]

Well, HLA matching is critically important for stem cell transplants since the stem cells are essentially going to remake all of the circulating immune cells in your body. If the MHCs are different in the transplanted cells than the host tissue cells, you're going to possibly develop autoreactive T and B cells (donor or host), leading to either GVHD or graft rejection. That's why stem cell recipients are usually immunosuppressed, since the donor stem cells will almost certainly not be a perfect match.

 

I think that HLA-DR encompasses HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB.

[j_p]

May I ask, why you ask?

 

Are stem cells currently an issue in your life?

[funkytown]

zyncod - thank you very much for your informative answers.

 

j_p - stem cells aren't so much part of my life as part of my Ph.D. studies at the moment! As is kidney transplantation. And I can't find the answers to my questions on Google.

[j_p]

Ahh, that is a good thing.

 

Thank you for the work you are doing and may do in the future. There will be a lot of people depending on you.

 

So, ah, maybe you should stop goofing off on message boards and get back to work?