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Reply to “Transplant rejection: Mind your T-cell language”

Nature Medicine volume 8, pages 1043–1044 (2002)Cite this article

Sacks and Pratt reply

Dr. Lakkis rightly points out that in explaining mechanisms by which local complement exerts regulation, we favor direct effects on the T-cell interaction with donor antigen. As this interaction is taking place in the graft and much of our in vitro work is based on the use of primed T cells, we recognize that T cells of effector/memory phenotype could well be the T cells involved. However, we do not exclude an effect of complement on unprimed cells entering the graft. Indeed, the recent work of Kreisel et al. raises the possibility that first encounter of T cells with donor antigen may take place in the graft6. Migration of T cells and maturation in peripheral lymphoid organs might then follow7. As Lakkis notes, in experiments with proximal renal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs), it would be of considerable interest to define the responses of naive T cells in such a system. However, the low level of responses to PTECs by naive T cells precludes such analysis.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nephrology & Transplantation Kings College, London

    Steven Sacks & Julian Pratt

  2. Guy's, King's & St. Thomas' School of Medicine, London, UK

    Steven Sacks & Julian Pratt

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  1. Steven Sacks
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  2. Julian Pratt
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Sacks, S., Pratt, J. Reply to “Transplant rejection: Mind your T-cell language”. Nat Med 8, 1043–1044 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1002-1043b

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