Advances in Innate Immunity to Overcome Immune Rejection during Xenotransplantation
Tian-Yu Lu,
Xue-Ling Xu,
Xu-Guang Du,
Jin-Hua Wei,
Jia-Nan Yu,
Shou-Long Deng,
Chuan Qin
Affiliations
Tian-Yu Lu
NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College, National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical Diseases, International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal model, Beijing 100021, China
Xue-Ling Xu
National Engineering Laboratory of Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Xu-Guang Du
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Jin-Hua Wei
Cardiovascular Surgery Department, Center of Laboratory Medicine, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100037, China
Jia-Nan Yu
NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College, National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical Diseases, International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal model, Beijing 100021, China
Shou-Long Deng
NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College, National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical Diseases, International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal model, Beijing 100021, China
Chuan Qin
NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College, National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical Diseases, International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal model, Beijing 100021, China
Transplantation is an effective approach for treating end-stage organ failure. There has been a long-standing interest in xenotransplantation as a means of increasing the number of available organs. In the past decade, there has been tremendous progress in xenotransplantation accelerated by the development of rapid gene-editing tools and immunosuppressive therapy. Recently, the heart and kidney from pigs were transplanted into the recipients, which suggests that xenotransplantation has entered a new era. The genetic discrepancy and molecular incompatibility between pigs and primates results in barriers to xenotransplantation. An increasing body of evidence suggests that innate immune responses play an important role in all aspects of the xenogeneic rejection. Simultaneously, the role of important cellular components like macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, and neutrophils, suggests that the innate immune response in the xenogeneic rejection should not be underestimated. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about the innate immune system in xenotransplantation and highlight the key issues for future investigations. A better understanding of the innate immune responses in xenotransplantation may help to control the xenograft rejection and design optimal combination therapies.
