He. Corey et al., URINE CYTOLOGY AND THE DIAGNOSIS OF RENAL-ALLOGRAFT REJECTION .2. STUDIES USING IMMUNOSTAINING, Acta cytologica, 41(6), 1997, pp. 1742-1746
BACKGROUND: Urine immunocytology may provide a noninvasive method of i
nvestigating the antigens expressed by renal tubular cells. In previou
s investigations of patients with acute renal allograft rejection (AR)
, we showed that the adhesion molecule ICAM-1 is expressed by voided t
ubular cells. The up-regulation of ICAM-1, in turn, may be due to high
circulating levels of interferon-gamma and/or TNF-alpha. We investiga
ted the regulation of receptors for these cytokines and found a correl
ation between their expression and clinical events. STUDY DESIGN: For
10 patients who received transplants consecutively, freshly voided ali
quots of urine were obtained on each hospital clay and on each outpati
ent visit for a mean of 52.8+/-26.2 (SD) days. After cytocentrifugatio
n, the samples were prepared by the avidin - biotin - immunoperoxidase
technique in order to detect the presence or absence of ICAM-1, inter
feron-gamma receptor and TNF-alpha receptor (p 80) on the tubular cell
s. RESULTS: In nonrejecting patients, the tubular cells expressed the
interferon-gamma receptor bur not ICAM-1 or the TNF-alpha receptor. In
patients with AR, the pattern was different. The tubular cells expres
sed ICAM-1 and the TNF-a receptor but not the interferon-gamma recepto
r. CONCLUSION: Urine immunocytochemistry may be were obtained on each
hospital clay and on each outpatient visit for a mean of 52.8+/-26.2 (
SD) days. After cytocentrifugation, the samples were prepared by the a
vidin - biotin - immunoperoxidase technique in order to detect the pre
sence or absence of ICAM-1, interferon-gamma receptor and TNF-alpha re
ceptor (p 80) on the tubular cells. RESULTS: In nonrejecting patients,
the tubular cells expressed the interferon-gamma receptor bur not ICA
M-1 or the TNF-alpha receptor. In patients with AR, the pattern was di
fferent. The tubular cells expressed ICAM-1 and the TNF-alpha receptor
but not the interferon-gramma receptor. CONCLUSION: Urine immunocytoc
hemistry may be useful to demonstrate the expression of cytokine recep
tors by renal epithelia.