A renal transplant recipient develops acute graft rejection on day 10 post-transplant. Biopsy shows lymphocytic infiltration of tubules and interstitium. Which cytokine is the primary driver of this CD4+ T-cell-mediated allograft destruction?
- A IL-4
- B IL-10
- C IL-2 ✓
- D TGF-β
Correct answer: C. IL-2
Explanation
Acute cellular rejection (occurring days to weeks post-transplant) is driven by alloreactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. IL-2 is the principal autocrine growth factor that drives clonal expansion of activated T cells. Cyclosporin and tacrolimus exert their immunosuppressive effect by blocking IL-2 production via calcineurin inhibition. IL-4 favors Th2 responses; IL-10 and TGF-β are immunosuppressive.
Reference: Ananthanarayan & Paniker's Textbook of Microbiology, 11th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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