B-cell differentiation and IL-21 response in IL2RG/JAK3 SCID patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

AM Miggelbrink, BR Logan, RH Buckley… - Blood, The Journal …, 2018 - ashpublications.org
AM Miggelbrink, BR Logan, RH Buckley, RE Parrott, CC Dvorak, N Kapoor, H Abdel-Azim…
Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology, 2018ashpublications.org
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) typically results in donor T-cell
engraftment and function in patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), but
humoral immunity, particularly when using donors other than matched siblings, is variable. B-
cell function after HSCT for SCID depends on the genetic cause, the use of pre-HSCT
conditioning, and whether donor B-cell chimerism is achieved. Patients with defects in
IL2RG or JAK3 undergoing HSCT without conditioning often have poor B-cell function post …
Abstract
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) typically results in donor T-cell engraftment and function in patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), but humoral immunity, particularly when using donors other than matched siblings, is variable. B-cell function after HSCT for SCID depends on the genetic cause, the use of pre-HSCT conditioning, and whether donor B-cell chimerism is achieved. Patients with defects in IL2RG or JAK3 undergoing HSCT without conditioning often have poor B-cell function post-HSCT, perhaps as a result of impairment of IL-21 signaling in host-derived B cells. To investigate the effect of pre-HSCT conditioning on B-cell function, and the relationship of in vitro B-cell function to clinical humoral immune status, we analyzed 48 patients with IL2RG/JAK3 SCID who were older than 2 years after HSCT with donors other than matched siblings. T follicular helper cells (TFH) developed in these patients with kinetics similar to healthy young children; thus, poor B-cell function could not be attributed to a failure of TFH development. In vitro differentiation of B cells into plasmablasts and immunoglobulin secretion in response to IL-21 strongly correlated with the use of conditioning, donor B-cell engraftment, freedom from immunoglobulin replacement, and response to tetanus vaccine. Patients receiving immunoglobulin replacement who had normal serum immunoglobulin M showed poor response to IL-21 in vitro, similar to those with low serum IgM. In vitro response of B cells to IL-21 may predict clinically relevant humoral immune function in patients with IL2RG/JAK3 SCID after HSCT.
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