Enhancement of Cytomegalovirus-Specific Cytokine Production after Modulation of the Costimulation in Kidney Transplant Patients

Figure 1

Increase of CMV-specific cytokine secretion by PD-L1 antibodies. The figure shows the IFN-γ (a), IL-21 (b), and IL-17A (c) production without and with the addition of PD-L1 antibodies. Lymphocytes of 26 kidney transplant patients, stimulated with CMV IE-1, pp65, CMV lysate (lysate), and HEL-299 lysate, were incubated with the antibody at concentrations of 0.1, 1, and 10 μg/ml. Unstimulated cells (neg) served as a negative control for stimulation with IE-1 and pp65, and the HEL-299 lysate as a negative control for the CMV lysate. IFN-γ secretion was determined in 12-18 patients, IL-21 in 13-15 and IL-17A in five patients. Mean and standard of the mean (SEM) of spot numbers are depicted. The effect of PD-L1 antibodies was analyzed by one-way ANOVA with a posthoc test. Values above the bold horizontal lines indicate significant values obtained by the Friedman test, significant results of Dunn’s posthoc test (to compare the various concentrations) are given above the thin horizontal lines (, , and ).

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