QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Müller, W. E. G. Articles by Schröder, H. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Müller, W. E. G. Articles by Schröder, H. C.

The Journal of Experimental Biology 204, 2197-2207 (2001)
© 2001 The Company of Biologists Limited

Suppression of allograft rejection in the sponge Suberites domuncula by FK506 and expression of genes encoding FK506-binding proteins in allografts

Werner E. G. Müller^1,*, Renate Steffen¹, Bernd Lorenz¹, Renato Batel³, Michael Kruse², Anatoli Krasko¹, Isabel M. Müller¹ and Heinz C. Schröder¹

¹ Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Abteilung Angewandte Molekularbiologie, Universität, Duesbergweg 6, D-55099 Mainz, Germany,
² Max-Planck-Institut für Züchtungsforschung, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, D-50829 Köln, Germany and
³ Center for Marine Research, ‘Ruder Boskovic’ Institute, HR-52210 Rovinj, Croatia

*e-mail: WMUELLER{at}mail.UNI-Mainz.DE

Accepted April 25, 2001

Porifera (sponges) are, evolutionarily, the oldest metazoan phylum. Recent molecular data suggest that these animals possess molecules similar to and homologous with those of the innate and adaptive immune systems of higher Metazoa. Applying the biological system of parabiosis and the technique of differential display of mRNA, two cDNAs encoding putative FK506-binding proteins were isolated. FK506 is successfully used in clinics as a drug to prevent allograft rejection and is toxic to Suberites domuncula cells in vitro at doses above 100ng ml^-1. Autograft fusion of transplants from S. domuncula was not affected by FK506. Allograft non-fusion was not affected by FK506 at toxic doses; however, at the non-toxic dose of 20ng ml^-1, the allografts fused with each other. It is shown that at the attachment zone in untreated and (particularly drastic) in FK506-treated allografts, expression of the genes encoding the FK506-binding proteins is upregulated. These data indicate that the drug FK506 suppresses allograft rejection in S. domuncula, most probably via interaction with expression of the gene coding for the FK506-binding proteins.

Key words: allograft, autograft, FK506, FK506-binding protein, sponge, Suberites domuncula.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Sabella, E. Faszewski, L. Himic, K. M. Colpitts, J. Kaltenbach, M. M. Burger, and X. Fernandez-Busquets Cyclosporin A Suspends Transplantation Reactions in the Marine Sponge Microciona prolifera J. Immunol., November 1, 2007; 179(9): 5927 - 5935. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]