Skewing of the T-Cell Receptor Repertoire in Patients Receiving Rituximab after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: What Lies Beneath?

The development of CD3⁺/CD8⁺/CD57⁺ cytotoxic cell expansions after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) driven by antigenic stimulation, viral or associated with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD), has been suggested as related with favorable outcome. Rituximab, an anti-CD20 humanized monoclonal antibody, has been linked to the development of oligo- or even monoclonal expansions of CD3⁺/CD8⁺/CD57⁺ T-large granular lymphocytes (T-LGLs) that can manifest with neutropenia of delayed origin in relation to Rituximab administration. We have recently reported remarkable skewing of the T-cell receptor (TR) gene repertoire in two allo-HCT transplanted patients with delayed neutropenia associated with T-LGL expansions developing in a context of GvHD and Rituximab administration for EBV reactivation. Prompted by these preliminary findings, we here extend our immunogenetic studies of the TR repertoire in patients receiving Rituximab post allo-HCT. The study group was comprised of 9 patients (including the two previously reported) aged 14-50 years (median 41) who were subjected to myeloablative allo-HCT (4 from matched related, 3 from matched unrelated donors), haplo-identical transplantation (1) or Reduced Intensity Conditioning-allo-HCT from sibling donor (1), all for hematological malignancies. All patients received Rituximab consecutively between 2010-2013 either as pre-emptive treatment for EBV reactivation or against refractory cGvHD. In all patients TR gene repertoire analysis was performed at least one year after the transplantation (range 12-72 months), when immune reconstitution normally would have been achieved, and 5-24 months after the first treatment with Rituximab. Each patient received a mean of 7 cycles of Rituximab (range, 1-14). TRBV-TRBD-TRDJ gene rearrangements were PCR-amplified on genomic DNA isolated from bone marrow samples using the BIOMED2 protocol and subjected to classic subcloning/Sanger sequencing. Sequence data was interpreted using the IMGT/V-QUEST tool. A total of 164 sequences were analyzed (9-25/case, median=18) revealing 106 productive TRBV-TRBD-TRBJ rearrangements. Among the 29 TRBV functional genes identified only three accounted for 48% of cases: (i) TRBV27*01 (25%), (ii) TRBV6-5*01 (13%), (iii) TRBV6-2*01 (10%). Of note, TRBV27*01 has been reported as the most frequent TRBV gene in Rituximab-related late-onset neutropenia in CLL. All cases were found to carry clusters of identical (>=2) rearrangements corresponding to clonotypes. In the majority of cases (5/9), 2-4 (median 3) immunodominant clonotypes accounted for over 30% of the analyzed sequences (frequency of immunodominant clonotype/case 13-40%). Lymphocyte subpopulation analysis by flow cytometry in 6 patients revealed T-LGL expansion. Samples from additional time points (spanning a period of 10 years), pre- and post- Rituximab, were studied in one patient. Analysis of 71 sequences demonstrated progressive expansion of a certain clonotype overtime, associated with the emergence of steroid-refractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia in a context of CD3⁺CD8⁺CD57⁺ lymphoproliferation. This particular clonotype dominated the repertoire by far, thus establishing a diagnosis of T-LGL leukemia. which, remarkably, proved to be of donor origin (97% and 30% donor chimerism in T lymphocytes and total hematopoeisis, respectively). No association of oligoclonality to stronger GvL effect could be found among the rest of the patients. However, a strong correlation with cGvHD (100% vs 25% among polyclonal cases) was identified. Late-onset neutropenia was documented in 4/9 patients, regardless of the composition of the repertoire i.e whether it was polyclonal or oligo(mono)clonal. In conclusion, we report frequent development of oligoclonal cytotoxic T-cell populations after Rituximab treatment post allo-HCT likely of multifactorial evidence. Direct evidence of the anti-leukemic effect of this phenomenon could not be provided, however, the observed association of oligoclonality with GvHD and the development of a possible “T-LGL leukemia vs leukemia” effect in one patient is noteworthy and merits further investigation. Finally, the observed skewing of the TR gene repertoire strongly implicates antigen selection in the development of cytotoxic T-cell expansions after allo-HCT.