ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Alloimmunity and Transplantation
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1616781
This article is part of the Research TopicIntegrating Omics for Transformative Insights in Transplantation and Transfusion MedicineView all articles
Serum Proteomics Analysis of Lung Transplant Patients Receiving Different Induction Therapies
Provisionally accepted
Shahrooz Nasrollahi Shirazi1
Markus Unterwurzacher2,3
Hatice Oya Berezhinskiy1Sophia Alemanno1Konrad Hoezenecker4
Clemens Aigner4
Peter Jaksch4Thomas Mohr5
Klaus Kratochwill2
Alberto Benazzo1,4*- 1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, Vienna, Austria
- 2Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria, Vienna, Austria
- 3Christian Doppler Laboratory for Molecular Stress Research in Peritoneal Dialysis, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, Vienna, Austria
- 4Comprehensive Center for Chest Diseases (CCCD), Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austri, Vienna, Austria
- 5Institute of Cancer Research, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna and Comprehensive Cancer Center, A-1090 Vienna, Austria, Vienna, Austria
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Induction therapy is widely used in lung transplantation to control the host alloresponse, reducing acute cellular rejection and improving graft survival. Despite its use, data on the biological effects of different induction agents remain limited. This study examines serum proteomics profiles in lung transplant patients receiving alemtuzumab, anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG), or no induction therapy. Adult lung transplant recipients who underwent transplantation between 2007 and 2013 at the Medical University of Vienna were included. Using mass spectrometry (MS), serum samples were examined before transplantation (T1) and 12 months post-transplant (T2). Among 102 patients (50 alemtuzumab, 34 ATG, 18 no induction), we identified significantly differentially expressed proteins over time and between groups at T2. In the alemtuzumab group, 40 proteins were differentially expressed (3 upregulated, 37 downregulated), in ATG, 22 proteins (3 upregulated, 19 downregulated), and none in the no-induction group. At T2, two proteins (fibulin-1 and fetuin-B) were downregulated between alemtuzumab and no induction, with no significant differences between alemtuzumab and ATG or ATG and no induction. Our findings suggest alemtuzumab may have a stronger effect on circulating proteome. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and explore potential clinical implications.
Keywords: Lung Transplantation, Induction therapy, alemtuzumab, ATG (anti-thymocyte globulin), Serum proteomics, Mass Spectrometry
Received: 23 Apr 2025; Accepted: 08 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Nasrollahi Shirazi, Unterwurzacher, Berezhinskiy, Alemanno, Hoezenecker, Aigner, Jaksch, Mohr, Kratochwill and Benazzo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Alberto Benazzo, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, Vienna, Austria
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