Intragraft gene expression profile associated with the induction of tolerance

Xenotransplantation holds the promise of providing an unlimited supply of donor organs for terminal patients with organ failure. The gal carbohydrate results in rejection of wild type pig grafts, however, chimerism established by expression of the GalT gene prior to transplantation in GalT knockout mice results in tolerance to Gal+ heart grafts. We used microarrays in order to further understand the early events that occur within grafts that demonstrate tolerance. Keywords: transplntation tolerance The GalT BMT recipient is a GalT knockout mouse which recieved GalT gene transduced allo-bone marrow cells transplantation after sublethal irradiation. A heart of wild type C57BL/6 was heterotopically transplanted into the recipient after GalT BMT. Syngeneic Control recipient is a wild type C57BL/6 transplanted a heart of wild C57BL/6.