The impact of PD-1/PD-L1, CTLA-4, TIM-3 and LAG-3 immune checkpoint receptor expression in the development of acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) and disease recurrence after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

The immune checkpoint receptors play a crucial role in managing the transplantation outcome including development of acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) and disease recurrence following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is well established. This study aimed to investigate the expression of immune checkpoint receptors, including PD-1/PD-L1, CTLA-4, TIM-3, and LAG-3 in donors, as well as changes in their expression during the first 90 days (day 30 and day 90) post-HLA-matched allo-HSCT, concerning the development of aGVHD and disease relapse. Forty-one donor/recipient pairs were included in this study.

Activating KIR/HLA-I combinations as a risk factor of adult B-ALL.

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), the most predominant type of ALL, is less common and incurable among adults. Regarding the pivotal role of NK cells in immune surveillance against hematological malignancies, studying the effective factors in regulating their function, particularly KIRs as the most important NK cell receptors and HLA-I molecules as their main ligands, is of importance. Since NK responses against malignant lymphoblasts are influenced by KIR signals, we did a case-control study on 154 adult patients with B-ALL and 181 healthy controls to investigate the correlation of KIR/HLA-I combinations with susceptibility to B-ALL in Iranians.