No Increase in Colon Cancer Risk Following Induction with Neu5Gc-Bearing Rabbit Anti-T Cell IgG (ATG) in Recipients of Kidney Transplants

Jean-Paul Soulillou (1, 2) , Caner Süsal (3) , Bernd Döhler (3) , Gerhard Opelz (3)

1 ITUN - Institut de transplantation urologie-néphrologie
2 Team 4 - U1064 Inserm - CRTI - Immunoregulation And Immunointervention in Transplantation and Autoimmunity
3 Institute of Immunology [Heidelberg]

Because of a mutation of the gene allowing the synthesis of the Neu5Gc form of neuraminidic acid, humans lack the Neu5Gc present in other mammals and develop anti-Neu5Gc. However,humanscanabsorbdietaryNeu5Gcandnormalcolonepitheliumdisplaysminuteamounts of Neu5Gc. The potential “physiological” formation of in situ immune complexes has been proposed as a risk factor for colon cancer and as the link between red meat-rich diet and colon carcinoma. In this article, we took advantage of evidence that polyclonal rabbit IgG (ATG) elicits an immune response against Neu5Gc and we consulted a large data base of allograft recipients treated or not with animal-derived IgG to discuss this hypothesis. Based on data from 173,960 and 38,505 patients without and with ATG induction, respectively, we found no evidence that exposure to higher levels of anti-Neu5Gc is associated with a higher incidence of colon carcinoma.

Mots clés: red meat; anti-Neu5Gc; colon cancer

Domaines: Médecine humaine et pathologie

Jean-Paul Soulillou, Caner Süsal, Bernd Döhler, Gerhard Opelz. No Increase in Colon Cancer Risk Following Induction with Neu5Gc-Bearing Rabbit Anti-T Cell IgG (ATG) in Recipients of Kidney Transplants. Cancers, 2018, 10 (9), pii: E324. ⟨10.3390/cancers10090324⟩. ⟨inserm-02157540⟩