All transplanted kidneys suffer some ischemic injury during the transplant procedure. Recent data indicate that this ischemia may initiate/exacerbate rejection by recruiting dendritic cells into the kidney. Dendritic cells are important for initiating immune responses.
Our specific aims are: 1) to understand the effects of ischemia on the expression of molecules (cytokinines/chemokinines) which regulate dendritic cells, and 2) to investigate if ICAM-1 and E-selectin are necessary for dendritic cell extravasation. Answering those questions will allow for better prevention and treatment of rejection.
