Comparative analysis of naïve and memory CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell subsets in bone marrow and G-CSF–mobilized peripheral blood stem cell allografts: impact of donor characteristics

Objective Donor T cells expressing lymph node homing receptors are the foremost initiators of acute graft-vs-host disease (aGVHD), and a high proportion of CD4+CCR7+ T cells in human leukocyte antigen–matched allografts has been shown to confer a high risk of aGVHD without interfering in other outcomes. Methods Naïve, central memory (TCM), effector memory (TEM), and terminally differentiated effector memory (TTD) subsets, further subdivided by CD28 expression, were compared in 52 bone marrow and 37 granulocyte colony-stimulating factor–mobilized peripheral blood harvests. Results CCR7+ cells (naïve and TCM) predominated in the CD4+ population, whereas CD8+ memory cells were chiefly CCR7neg in the grafts. Donor age, antecedent of chronic infections, and graft type were independent factors influencing graft composition. CD8+ naïve cells negatively correlated and CD8+ TEM positively correlated with age. Cytomegalovirus seropositivity was associated with more CD8+ TTD and diminished CD28 expression. Toxoplasmosis seropositivity was associated with more CD4+ TCM (p = 0.021). Marrow grafts comprised more CD28+ cells within CD8+ TTD, but the percentage of CD4+CCR7+ cells did not differ significantly between the two graft sources. Each of the four CD4+ subsets and the percentage of CD4+CCR7+ cells (p < 0.001) were correlated between graft and venous blood analyzed in 42 donors before harvest procedures. Conclusion This study provides reference values for CD4+ and CD8+ naïve and memory subsets within allografts applicable to the healthy donor population and indicates that beforehand analysis of a whole-blood sample can help evaluating the risk of aGVHD conferred by each donor and, when possible, choosing the one conferring the lowest risk.