Bone marrow transplantation concurrently reconstitutes donor liver and immune system across host species barrier in mice.

Abstract

Liver immunopathologic mechanisms during hepatotropic infection, malignant transformation, and autoimmunity are still unclear. Establishing a chimeric mouse with a reconstituted liver and immune system derived from a single donor across species is critical to study regional donor immune responses in recipient liver. Using a strain of mice deficient in tyrosine catabolic enzyme fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (fah-/-) and bone marrow transplantation (BMT), we reconstituted the donor's hepatocytes and immune cells across host species barrier. Syngeneic, allogeneic or even xenogeneic rat BMT rescued most recipient fah-/- mice against liver failure by donor BM-derived FAH+ hepatocytes. Importantly, immune system developed normally in chimeras, and the immune cells together with organ architecture were intact and functional. Thus, donor BM can across host species barrier and concurrently reconstitutes MHC-identical response between immune cells and hepatocytes, giving rise to a new simple and convenient small animal model to study donor's liver immune response in mice.