Data are limited regarding the immune status of
CD40 ligand (CD40L)-deficient carriers and
hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) outcomes using them as donors for CD40L-deficient patients. Therefore, we studied the immune profiles of 7 carriers, 4 of whom were HSCT donors for family members with
CD40L deficiency, and we characterized their HSCT outcomes.
Immunoglobulin profiles, CD4, CD8, circulating T-follicular helper (cTfh) cells, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in carriers were comparable to those in healthy controls.
CD40L expression in carriers ranged from 37% to 78%. cTfh cells from carriers expressed higher
CD40L compared with total CD4 cells or the memory CD4 compartment, suggesting a potential advantage to CD40L-expressing cTfh cells. Tregs had minimal
CD40L expression in carriers and healthy controls. So we postulated that HSCT using donors who were
CD40L carriers may result in excellent immune reconstitution without immune dysregulation. Four CD40L-deficient patients underwent HSCT from carriers who had
CD40L expression from 37% to 63%. All patients engrafted, achieved excellent immune reconstitution with lack of
opportunistic infections,
graft-versus-host disease, and immune dysregulation; stable
CD40L expression mimicked that of donors 1 to 5 years after HSCT.
Immunoglobulin independence was achieved in 3 of the 4 patients. We demonstrated higher
CD40L expression in the cTfh compartment of carriers and excellent immune reconstitution using donors who were
CD40L carriers in CD40L-deficient patients.