Relation between Acute GVHD and NK Cell Subset Reconstitution Following Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

One of the major challenges of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is to reduce the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) while boosting the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect. The reconstitution of natural killer (NK) cells following allo-SCT is of notable interest due to their known capability to induce GVL without GVHD. Here, in this study, we investigate the association between the incidence and severity of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) and the early reconstitution of NK cell subsets following allo-SCT. We analyzed 342 samples from 107 patients using flow cytometry, with a focus on immature CD56(high) and mature cytotoxic CD56(dim) NK cells. Longitudinal analysis of immune reconstitution after allo-SCT showed that the incidence of aGVHD was associated with a delayed expansion of the entire NK cell population, in particular the CD56(high) subset. Notably, the disturbed reconstitution of the CD56(high) NK cells also correlated with the severity of aGVHD.