Pretransplant Donor Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Infusion Induces Transplantation Tolerance by Generating Regulatory T Cells

Donor-specific regulatory T cells play a role in tolerance induction by donor PBMC infusion. Regulatory activity is concentrated in the CD4+ CD25+ subset and requires cell-to-cell contact. Regulatory CD4+ T cells accumulate in tolerized kidney grafts where they could exert a protective function against host immune response.