Alternatively expressed genes identified in the CD4⁺⁺ T cells of allograft rejection mice

Allograft rejection is a leading cause for the failure of allotransplantation. CD4⁺+ T cells play critical roles in this process. The identification of genes that alternatively expressed in CD4⁺+ T cells during allograft rejection will provide critical information for studying the mechanism of allograft rejection, finding specific gene markers for monitoring, predicting allograft rejection, and opening new ways to regulate and prevent allograft rejection. Here, we established allograft and isograft transplantation models by adoptively transferring wild-type BALB/c mouse CD4⁺+ T cells into severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice with a C57BL/ 6 or BALB/c mouse skin graft. Using the whole transcriptome sequencing-based serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) technology, we identified 97 increasingly and 88 decreasingly expressed genes that may play important roles in allograft rejection and tolerance. Functional classification of these genes shows that apoptosis, transcription regulation, cell growth and maintenance, and signal transduction are among the frequently changed functional groups. This study provides a genome-wide view for the candidate genes of CD4⁺+ T cells related to allotransplantation, and this report is a good resource for further microarray studies and for identifying the specific markers that are associated with clinical organ transplantations.