Cancer Institute A national cancer institute
designated cancer center

Helen M. Blau

Publication Details

  • Modulation of MHC class II antigen expression in human myoblasts after treatment with IFN-gamma.

    Mantegazza R, Hughes SM, Mitchell D, Travis M, Blau HM, Steinman L. Neurology. 1991; 41 (7): 1128-32

    Some investigators have proposed myoblast transfer as a potential therapy for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Little is known about the immunobiology of myoblast transplantation. Transplantation rejection is mediated to a large extent by CD8+ T cells, which recognize alloantigens encoded by class I HLA genes, and by CD4+ T cells, which recognize alloantigens encoded by class II HLA genes. Gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) is a potent inducer of HLA class II molecules as well as beta 2-microglobulin, which is co-expressed with HLA class I. IFN-gamma may be a critical cytokine involved in graft rejection. We purified human myoblasts by flow cytometry and incubated them in vitro for varying time periods with recombinant human IFN-gamma. The inducibility of HLA-DR and -DP molecules raises a note of caution concerning possible rejection phenomenon which might occur following myoblast transplantation.

    PubMedID: 1906147

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