Biomarkers of graft-vs-host disease: Understanding and applications for the future

Figure 1 Simplified schema of the graft-vs-host reaction and graft-vs-host disease, and related biomarkers. Biomarkers of endothelial injury are presented separately from other tissue damage-related biomarkers in graft-vs-host disease (refer to the main text). Ang-2: Angiopoietin-2; CTL: Cytotoxic T lymphocyte; Fas-FasL: Fas and Fas Ligand; GVH: Graft-vs-host; GVHD: Graft-vs-host disease; HGF: Hepatocyte growth factor; HMGB-1: High-mobility group box 1; IFN-γ: Interferon-γ; IL: Interleukin; PAI-1: Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1; RANTES: Regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted; Reg-3α: Regenerating islet-derived 3α; sELAM-1: Serum endothelial leucocyte adhesion molecule-1; sICAM-1: Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1; sIL-2R: Soluble IL-2 receptor; ST2: Suppression of tumorigenicity 2; sVCAM-1: Soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1; TM: Thrombomodulin; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α; vWF: von Willebrand factor.

Figure 2 An overview of tentative stratification for graft-vs-host disease biomarkers. Biomarker A: Predicts graft-vs-host disease (GVHD); Biomarker B: Predicts a high risk of GVHD; Biomarker C: Predicts responsiveness to therapeutic intervention (1). GVHD: Graft-vs-host disease.