Physiochemical disparity of mismatched HLA class I alloantigens and risk of acute GVHD following HSCT

We determined whether assessment of the immunogenicity of individual donor–recipient HLA mismatches based on differences in their amino-acid sequence and physiochemical properties predicts clinical outcome following haematopoietic SCT (HSCT). We examined patients transplanted with 9/10 single HLA class I-mismatched grafts ( n =171) and 10/10 HLA-A-, -B-, -C-, -DRB1- and -DQB1-matched grafts ( n =168). A computer algorithm was used to determine the physiochemical disparity (electrostatic mismatch score (EMS) and hydrophobic mismatch score (HMS)) of mismatched HLA class I specificities in the graft-versus-host direction. Patients transplanted with HLA-mismatched grafts with high EMS/HMS had increased incidence of ⩾grade II acute GVHD (aGVHD) compared with patients transplanted with low EMS/HMS grafts; patients transplanted with low and medium EMS/HMS grafts had similar incidence of aGVHD to patients transplanted with 10/10 HLA-matched grafts. Mortality was higher following single HLA-mismatched HSCT but was not correlated with HLA physiochemical disparity. Assessment of donor–recipient HLA incompatibility based on physiochemical HLA disparity may enable better selection of HLA-mismatched donors in HSCT.