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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Immunol Rev. 2014 Mar;258(1):30–44. doi: 10.1111/imr.12151

Fig. 2. Interferon-γ (IFN-γ) inhibits graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) through its signaling in parenchymal tissues cells.

Fig. 2

IFN-γ signaling in non-hematopoietic cells within GVHD target tissues upregulates PD-L1 expression, leading to apoptosis of tissue-infiltrating alloreactive T cells and protection against tissue injury. Compared to other GVHD target organs, intestine is more sensitive to apoptosis induced by IFN-γ and IFN-γ-stimulated inflammation. However, IFN-γ elimination has been shown to increase intestinal injury in allo-HCT recipients, suggesting that the IFN-γ-mediated protective effect may outweigh its adverse effects. Dead cells are indicated by a black colored nucleus.