Kidney transplantation is the most successful treatment option for patients with end-stage
renal disease, and chronic antibody-mediated rejection is the principal cause of allograft
loss. Predictive factors for chronic rejection include high levels of HLA alloantibodies
(particularly HLA class II) and activation of graft endothelial cells (ECs). The mechanistic
basis for this association is unresolved. We used an experimental model of HLA-DR
antibody stimulation of microvascular ECs to examine the mechanisms underlying the …