Immunohematologic reconstitution in pediatric patients after T cell-depleted HLA-haploidentical stem cell transplantation for thalassemia

To analyze immunohematologic reconstitution, particularly of natural killer (NK) cells, we evaluated 13 β-thalassemia patients after 20 and 60 days and 1 year posttransplantation with T cell-depleted HLA-haploidentical stem cells. We assessed lymphocyte and bone marrow (BM) progenitor cell phenotype and differentiation capacity, spontaneous BM cytokine production, stromal cells, and stromal cell interleukin (IL)-7 production. A reduced clonogenic capability manifested at day +20. Patients had significantly lower CD4(+) T cells versus controls, mainly in the CD45RA(+)CD62L(+) subset. NKs were among the first lymphocytes to repopulate the peripheral blood. At day +60, an increase in primitive BM progenitor cells paralleled small increases in CD4(+), naïve CD4(+), and thymic naïve Th cells. A significant increase in CD4(+) and CD8(+) markers paralleled an increase in CD3⁻CD16(+) NKs, especially with full engraftment. In patients with stable mixed chimerism we observed very low levels of CD3(+) donor chimerism early after transplant that increased over time, but a stable population of high donor NK cells, suggesting a role of these cells on donor engraftment. Stromal cells secreted less IL-7 and displayed "macrophage-like" morphology. Patients initially manifested impaired stem/progenitor cell growth and differentiation capacity in parallel with altered T cell homeostasis and a reduced T cell naïve compartment. We hypothesize that T cell compartment damage partly arises from altered new T cell production from the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells under stromal cytokine influence. NNK subset analysis might be useful for determining transplant outcome.