RNA-seq analysis of Tr1 cells from islet transplanted monkeys with and without ADL infusion

We report our results of RNA-seq analysis on flow sorted Tr1 cells Immune tolerance to allografts has been pursued as an important goal in transplantation for decades. Administration of apoptotic donor splenocytes effectively induced antigen-specific tolerance to allografts in murine studies. Here we show that two peritransplant infusions of apoptotic donor leukocytes under short-term immunotherapy with antagonistic anti-CD40 antibody 2C10R4, rapamycin, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor, and anti-interleukin 6 receptor antibody induce long-term (≥1 year) tolerance to islet allografts in 5 of 5 nonsensitized, MHC class I-disparate, and 1 MHC class II DRB allele- matched rhesus macaques. Tolerance in our preclinical model is associated with a regulatory network, involving antigen-specific Tr1 cells exhibiting a distinct transcriptome and indirect specificity for matched MHC class II and mismatched class I peptides. Apoptotic donor leukocyte infusions warrant continued investigation as a cellular, nonchimeric, and translatable method for inducing antigen- specific tolerance in transplantation. RNA was isolated from FACS-sorted cells. Libraries were created using standard Illumina reagents and analyzed using a HiSeq2500.