Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells inhibited T follicular helper cell generation in rheumatoid arthritis

作者：Liu, Rui; Li, Xia^*; Zhang, Zhuoya; Zhou, Min; Sun, Yue; Su, Dinglei; Feng, Xuebing; Gao, Xiang; Shi, Songtao; Chen, Wanjun; Sun, Lingyun

来源：Scientific Reports, 2015, 5(1): 12777.

DOI：10.1038/srep12777

• COLLAGEN-INDUCED ARTHRITIS
• SYSTEMIC-LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS
• INTERFERON-GAMMA
• DISEASE-ACTIVITY
• DENDRITIC CELLS
• MRL/LPR MICE
• B-CELL
• TRANSPLANTATION
• DIFFERENTIATION
• TRYPTOPHAN

T follicular helper (Tfh) cells provide help for antigen-specific B cells. We have previously shown that Tfh cell frequency was increased and associated with auto-antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), suggesting a possible involvement of Tfh cells in its pathogenesis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a promising alternative cell therapy for RA by modulating T and B cell activation and proliferation. However, it remains unknown whether MSCs have immunoregulation on Tfh cells. In this paper, we have demonstrated that allogeneic MSCs could suppress Tfh cell differentiation in RA patients partly via the production of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). IFN gamma generated from Tfh cell differentiation system induced IDO expression on MSCs. MSCs transplantation (MSCT) into collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice prevented arthritis progression by inhibiting both the number and function of Tfh cells in vivo. These findings reveal a novel suppressive function of MSCs in Tfh cells, which has implication in understanding the underlying mechanisms of the immunotherapeutic effects of MSCs on RA patients.

• 出版日期2015-8-11
• 单位南京医科大学; 南京大学; 大连医科大学