Embryonic stem cells (ESC) are particularly unique in that they process a high degree of plasticity not shared by other stem cells such as hematopoietic or mesenchymal stem cells. More importantly, ESC show a low degree of immunogenicity by expressing little or no MHC class I antigens and no class II antigens even after treatment with IFN-gamma. Little is, however, known about the conditions under which they can optimally induce a state of mixed chimerism that would be critical for their use in organ transplantation, but also in the treatment of degenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases and other illnesses. In organ transplantation, approximately 50% of allografts are lost within 10 years by a process generally termed chronic rejection, indicating the need for the establishment of immunological tolerance. One strategy to achieving tolerance to transplanted organs is by creating a state of mixed-chimerism using donor-derived hematopoietic cells. The severity of the available myelo-ablative protocols necessary for the achievement of mixed chimerism are too severe for patient awaiting solid organ transplantation, but remain the treatment of choice for patients suffering from malignant leukemic diseases. In contrast, most recent data in rats show that donor-type embryonic stem cell-lines are capable of inducing mixed-chimerism and subsequent cardiac graft tolerance without host pre-conditioning or immunosuppression. Here, we propose to test whether mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC) induce mixed-chimerism in allogeneic combinations and tolerance to cardiac allografts without immunosuppression or under minimal host treatment. The central hypothesis is that mouse ESC, which are immune-privileged, establish a state of mixed- chimerism in allogeneic recipients in the absence of pre-conditioning regimens or under minimal host treatment, in a thymus-dependent fashion, and that the development of mixed-chimerism permits permanent engraftment of vascularized cardiac allografts.
Aim 1 will establish ideal conditions for achieving ESC-induced mixed-chimerism and determine whether established mixed chimerism induces tolerance to donor-derived vascularized cardiac allografts.
Aim 2 will deal with the mechanisms for ESC immune-privilege including determining whether ESC induce clonal deletion of alloreactive T cells. It is anticipated that mixed-chimerism and tolerance in this mouse model will be achieved, using this innovative approach that avoids toxic pre-conditioning regimens. The results of these collective studies will be an important step in understanding the efficacy of ESC to engraft in allogeneic recipients. Eventually, this data could be utilized for the induction of mixed chimerism in humans that is essential for tolerance induction.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01HL073015-01A2
Application #
6821860
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-SAT (90))
Program Officer
Massicot-Fisher, Judith
Project Start
2004-08-01
Project End
2007-05-31
Budget Start
2004-08-01
Budget End
2005-05-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$295,000
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Iowa
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
062761671
City
Iowa City
State
IA
Country
United States
Zip Code
52242
Kim, Eun-Mi; Manzar, Gohar; Zavazava, Nicholas (2017) Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived gamete-associated proteins incite rejection of induced pluripotent stem cells in syngeneic mice. Immunology 151:191-197
Manzar, Gohar S; Kim, Eun-Mi; Zavazava, Nicholas (2017) Demethylation of induced pluripotent stem cells from type 1 diabetic patients enhances differentiation into functional pancreatic ? cells. J Biol Chem 292:14066-14079
Manzar, Gohar S; Kim, Eun-Mi; Rotti, Pavana et al. (2014) Skin deep: from dermal fibroblasts to pancreatic beta cells. Immunol Res 59:279-86
Zavazava, Nicholas (2014) Progress toward establishing embryonic stem or induced pluripotent stem cell-based clinical translation. Curr Opin Organ Transplant 19:598-602
Kim, Eun-Mi; Miyake, Bob; Aggarwal, Manish et al. (2014) Embryonic stem cell-derived haematopoietic progenitor cells down-regulate the CD3 ? chain on T cells, abrogating alloreactive T cells. Immunology 142:421-30
Hayes, Michael; Zavazava, Nicholas (2013) Strategies to generate induced pluripotent stem cells. Methods Mol Biol 1029:77-92
Kim, Eun-Mi; Manzar, Gohar; Zavazava, Nicholas (2013) Human iPS cell-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells induce T-cell anergy in in vitro-generated alloreactive CD8(+) T cells. Blood 121:5167-75
Kim, Eun-Mi; Manzar, Gohar; Zavazava, Nicholas (2013) Mouse ES cell-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells. Methods Mol Biol 1029:109-17
Klump, H; Teichweyde, N; Meyer, C et al. (2013) Development of patient-specific hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell grafts from pluripotent stem cells, in vitro. Curr Mol Med 13:815-20
Raikwar, Sudhanshu P; Zavazava, Nicholas (2013) Differentiation and lineage commitment of murine embryonic stem cells into insulin producing cells. Methods Mol Biol 1029:93-108

Showing the most recent 10 out of 29 publications