Abstract

Our recent report that apoptotic cell death and DNA fragmentation are components of liver allograft rejection (1) is in complete agreement with the earlier report by Battersby et al.(2) that hepatocytes undergo apoptosis during porcine liver rejection. The purpose of our study (1) was to quantitate the morphological and biochemical changes associated with apoptosis in a well-described experimental model of orthotopic liver transplantation. Moreover, hepatocyte cell death was correlated with cytokine expression and histological and biochemical indicators of liver allograft rejection. We and others (3-6) have found that apoptosis can be inconspicuous on the light microscope level. The TUNEL technique is a tool that, when combined with morphological criteria, is helpful in discerning cells undergoing apoptosis. For example, the TUNEL technique, as used by Surh and Sprent (7), was instrumental in providing direct evidence of a longstanding assertion that the majority of newly produced thymocytes die in situ. Genetic and molecular advances have identified genes and biochemical processes involved in apoptosis(4). Further investigations into the regulatory mechanisms associated with apoptosis will facilitate an understanding of allograft rejection. Sheri M. Krams Olivia M. Martinez California Pacific Medical Center; Transplant Immunobiology Laboratory; San Francisco, California 94115

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