Evaluation of the state of transplanted liver health by monitoring of organ-specific genomic marker in circulating DNA from receptor

Abstract

The evaluation of the transplanted liver health by non-invasive approaches may offer an improvement in early clinical intervention. As transplanted organs have genomes that are distinct from the host’s genome, the quantifi cation of the specifi c DNA of the donated liver in the patient serum will allow us to obtain information about its damage. We evaluated the state of transplanted liver health by monitoring the RH gene in serum circulating DNA (cirDNA) from 17 recipient and donor mismatched for this gene. cirDNA RH gene was quantifi ed by RT- PCR before, at the moment of transplantation (day 0) and during the stay at the intensive care unit. Betaglobin cirDNA was quantifi ed as a general cellular damage marker. Patients were grouped based on clinical outcomes: (A) patients with no complication; (B) patients that accepted the organ but suffered other complications; (C) patients that suffered organ rejection. All patients showed an increased cirDNA levels at day 0 that decreased until patient stabilization. Patients from groups A and B showed low levels of the RH gene cDNA during the follow-up, with an increase of beta-globin gene at the moment of any clinical complication. Patients from group C showed an increase in the RH gene during rejection.