Science Highlights
Published on February 09, 2026
Enterococcus-driven MHC-II induction and its implications for GVHD
by Blood
Nguyen C, Funes J, Ghale R, et al. Enterococcus Induces MHC-II Expression by the Intestinal Epithelium During Murine Graft-Versus-Host Disease. Blood. 2025; (doi: 10.1182/blood.2024028248).
Observations from a mouse model of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) shed light on the role Enterococcus faecalis plays in this complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) and inform a strategy for avoiding deadly outcomes in applicable cases. Researchers learned that Enterococcus induces major histocompatibility complex class II expression by intestinal epithelial cells in the colon, thus aggravating GVHD and elevating the risk of death. To achieve colonization resistance to Enterococcus post-procedure and prevent intestinal Enterococcus domination from manifesting, transplanted mice were exposed to a lantibiotic-producing Blautia producta strain after allo-HCT. The tactic worked, report the study authors, who documented subsequent improvement in GVHD survival.
Read More
![]()