The Effect of Lymphangiogenesis in Transplant Arteriosclerosis

Background: Transplant arteriosclerosis is a major complication in long-term survivors of heart transplantation. Increased lymph flow from donor heart to host lymph nodes has been reported to play a role in transplant arteriosclerosis, but how lymphangiogenesis affects this process is unknown.

Methods: Vascular allografts were transplanted among various combinations of mice, including wild-type, Lyve1-CreER^T2;R26-tdTomato, CAG-Cre-tdTomato, severe combined immune deficiency, Ccr2^KO, Foxn1^KO, and lghm/lghd^KO mice. Whole-mount staining and 3-dimensional reconstruction identified lymphatic vessels within the grafted arteries. Lineage tracing strategies delineated the cellular origin of lymphatic endothelial cells. Adeno-associated viral vectors and a selective inhibitor were used to regulate lymphangiogenesis.

Results: Lymphangiogenesis within allograft vessels began at the anastomotic sites and extended from preexisting lymphatic vessels in the host. Tertiary lymphatic organs were identified in transplanted arteries at the anastomotic site and lymphatic vessels expressing CCL21 (chemokine [C-C motif] ligand 21) were associated with these immune structures. Fibroblasts in the vascular allografts released VEGF-C (vascular endothelial growth factor C), which stimulated lymphangiogenesis into the grafts. Inhibition of VEGF-C signaling inhibited lymphangiogenesis, neointima formation, and adventitial fibrosis of vascular allografts. These studies identified VEGF-C released from fibroblasts as a signal stimulating lymphangiogenesis extending from the host into the vascular allografts.

Conclusions: Formation of lymphatic vessels plays a key role in the immune response to vascular transplantation. The inhibition of lymphangiogenesis may be a novel approach to prevent transplant arteriosclerosis.