Disturbed B-cell homeostasis in pediatric cGvHD patients

Introduction: cGvHD is a serious complication of HSCT with high morbidity and mortality. It is characterized by immune responses of recipients' immune cells against donor-derived antigens. Pathogenesis is not fully understood, however B-cells and DCs are supposed to play an important role. Methods: We performed immunophenotyping of B-cells and DCs from pediatric patients with cGvHD as well as co-cultivation-experiments using cells from healthy donors and cGvHD patients. Results: Significant differences were observed in memory, naïve, transitional, CD69 and CD86 B- cells between patients and controls. Apoptosis w…