Donor-derived circulating endothelial cells after kidney transplantation.

Background: In solid-organ transplantation, the allograft vasculature, in particular the endothelium, is prone to injury inflicted by peritransplantational and posttransplantational factors. Previously, we have shown that circulating endothelial cells (cEC) can be detected in the peripheral blood of kidney allograft recipients and are often associated with acute rejection and active infections with human cytomegalovirus. In the present study we hypothesized that cEC after kidney transplantation are of donor origin, thus reflecting transplantation-related damage to the allograft endothelium.

Pulmonary diffusion abnormalities in relation to cytomegalovirus antigenemia and cytomegalic endothelial cells in blood.

The pathophysiology of HCMV infection may involve many different organs including the lungs. In this study we investigated HCMV antigenemia levels and cytomegalic endothelial cells (CEC) in blood in relation to the pulmonary diffusion capacity. Patients with high HCMV antigenemia (> or = 100 pp65+ PMNs/50.

Cytomegalovirus infection increases the expression and activity of ecto-ATPase (CD39) and ecto-5'nucleotidase (CD73) on endothelial cells.

We describe enhanced expression and enzymatic activity of ecto-ATPase and ecto-5'nucleotidase on CMV infected endothelial cells as compared to uninfected cells. These ectoenzymes play a major role in modulation of platelet activation and aggregation. Furthermore, adenosine has a modulatory effect upon inflammation.

Uptake of pp65 in in vitro generated pp65-positive polymorphonuclear cells mediated by phagocytosis and cell fusion?

Objective: The cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia consists of the detection of CMV pp65 in the nucleus of polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMN), but it is unclear where and how PMN pick up virus particles or proteins. In an in vitro model for CMV antigenemia we investigated the mechanism of pp65 uptake by PMN that results in its expression in the nucleus.

Methods: A series of inhibitors of different mechanisms was used to study the uptake of pp65 by PMN during coculture with CMV-infected endothelial cells and we performed a morphological analysis by light and transmission electron microscopy.