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Endothelial MHC expression is required to initiate T cell–mediated rejection of 3D-printed skin grafts
Zuzana Tobiasova, Esen Sefik, Lingfeng Qin, Jennifer M. McNiff, Gwendolyn Davis, Richard A. Flavell, W. Mark Saltzman, Jordan S. Pober
Zuzana Tobiasova, Esen Sefik, Lingfeng Qin, Jennifer M. McNiff, Gwendolyn Davis, Richard A. Flavell, W. Mark Saltzman, Jordan S. Pober
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Research Article Immunology Vascular biology

Endothelial MHC expression is required to initiate T cell–mediated rejection of 3D-printed skin grafts

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Abstract

Vascularized skins were 3D printed using single donor human fibroblasts, pericytes, keratinocytes, and endothelial cells (ECs), the latter either unmodified (WT-ECs) or deleted of MHC molecules (KO-ECs). Adult MISTRG6 immunodeficient mice neonatally inoculated with adult human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) received printed skin allogeneic to the HSCs and were boosted 3 weeks after grafting with human PBMCs autologous to the HSCs. HSC inoculation alone produced low levels of circulating human myeloid and lymphoid cells without affecting grafts; PBMC boosting dramatically increased circulating human CD4+ T cells and boosted CD8+ T cells only in mice with WT-EC grafts. These grafts became infiltrated by human macrophages, dendritic cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and showed evidence of rejection. Shared T cell clones were present in skin and spleen. KO-EC grafts had minimal infiltration of graft or spleen without rejection, despite MHC molecule expression on other graft cell types.

Authors

Zuzana Tobiasova, Esen Sefik, Lingfeng Qin, Jennifer M. McNiff, Gwendolyn Davis, Richard A. Flavell, W. Mark Saltzman, Jordan S. Pober

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Figure 3

Vitality, vascularization, and rejection assessment of 3D-printed skin grafts.

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Vitality, vascularization, and rejection assessment of 3D-printed skin g...
(A) Skin graft cells presenting HLA B molecules signalizing vital cells present in both HSC+WT-EC skin and HSC+PBMC+KO-EC skin grafts (although not on KO-ECs, still present on other human cells of skin graft). (B and C) IHC staining of CD31 shows comparable numbers of human ECs present in HSC+WT-EC skin or WT-EC skin+PBMC– and KO-EC skin+PBMC–implanted skin grafts. (D) 3D-printed skin with WT-EC but not KO-EC was rejected (insets show FACS hCD45 dot plots). (E) Histopathologic evaluation of tissues showing significant differences between HSC+skin and HSC+PBMC+KO-EC skin mice, in comparison with HSC+PBMC+WT-EC skin (HSC+skin, n = 9; histopathologic score, 0.06 ± 0.17 vs. HSC+PBMC+WT-EC skin, n = 12; histopathologic score, 1.79 ± 0.7; P < 0.0001, and HSC+PBMC+WT-EC skin vs. HSC+PBMC+KO-EC skin, n = 5; histopathologic score, 0.2 ± 0.27; P < 0.0001). Statistical analysis was performed using Welch’s unpaired t test and Benjamini-Hochberg correction for multiple comparisons. ****P < 0.0001. Means, SDs, and multiple comparison–corrected P values are described. Scale bar: 0.5 mm. Values are shown as mean ± SD.

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