Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Secreted TGF-1 Restores Treg/Th17 Skewing Induced by Lipopolysaccharide and Hypoxia Challenge Via MiR-155 Suppression

Background: Regulatory T cell (Treg)/T helper (Th) 17 skewing is important in the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Immunomodulatory effects of mesenchymal stem cell- (MSC-) secreted transforming growth factor- (TGF-) 1 on CD4 T cells are environment-sensitive and lack discussion in hypoxic and inflammatory conditions.

Methods: Mouse splenic CD4 T cells were precoated with anti-CD3 (5 g/ml) and anti-CD28 (2 g/ml) overnight. RAW264.7 cells were added as antigen-presenting cells (APCs). T cells with and without RAW264.7 cells were treated with various LPS concentrations of 0, 10, 100, and 1000 ng/ml or/and at hypoxia condition of 5% O. Based on LPS (100 ng/ml) and hypoxia conditions (5% O) as stimuli, MSCs were set as direct coculture or indirect coculture by transwell system. Anti-TGF-1 neutralization antibody was added to explore the role of TGF-1 among the soluble factors secreted by MSCs; miR-155 overexpression of CD4 T cells was performed by transfection, and then, cells were added to the MSC-CD4 T cell coculture system in hypoxic- and LPS-stimulated condition. After 48 hours, cells or supernatants were collected for detection of frequency of Treg and Th17 subsets, CD4 T cell apoptosis and proliferation capacity assay by flow cytometry, secretion of INF-, IL-17A, IL-21, TGF-1, and IL-10 by ELISA, and levels of miR-155, Rorc, Foxp3, and Ptpn2 mRNA expression of CD4 T cells by RT-PCR.

Results: MSCs could restore skewed Treg/Th17 induced by LPS and hypoxia compared to groups without MSCs with increased secretion of TGF-1, IL-10, and IL-17A ( < 0.05) and attenuate the increased expression of miR-155 in CD4 T cells via cell-to-cell contact mechanism while TGF-1 neutralization significantly inhibited the effects of MSCs restoring skewed Treg/Th17 and abolished its effect on miR-155 expression in CD4 T cells.

Conclusions: These findings suggested miR-155 suppression of CD4 T cells mediated MSC-secreted TGF-1 modulating skewed Treg/Th17 induced by LPS-hypoxia challenge, providing evidence when proposing future T lymphocyte-targeted cell therapy in a specific condition.