The characterisation of human umbilical cord blood regulatory T cell subsets
2012
Umbilical cord blood (CB) is recognised to be a valuable alternative to bone marrow (BM) as
a source of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). The occurrence of Graft vs.Host Disease (GvHD)
after CB transplantation has been reported to be less severe in comparison to BM transplants.
In addition to the naive state of immune cells, the action of immuno-suppressive cells such as
regulatory T cells (Treg) may contribute to the positive aspects observed in CB transplants.
This study investigated the phenotypic and functional characteristics of CB Treg and their
potential for expansion in culture. In addition, the allogeneic response of CB and AB CD4+
cells was compared.
Two main subsets of Treg have been described: resting (CD45RA+FOXP3low) and activated
(CD45RA-FOXP3high). Results presented here showed that CB contained mostly resting Treg
whereas AB contained mostly activated Treg. In addition, freshly isolated CB Treg were less
capable of inhibiting the proliferation of responses in comparison to AB Treg. CB Treg
acquired an activated Treg phenotype and potent suppressive activity after expansion, and
expanded CD25+ cultures maintained Treg characteristics for longer in comparison to CD25+
cells expanded from AB. Importantly, unlike AB Treg, expanded CB Treg suppressed the
proliferation of autologous and allogeneic responders equally. Finally, ‘putative Treg’ were
induced from CB CD25- cells following allogeneic stimulation, the putative Treg were
CD4+FOXP3+CD25+CTLA-4+ and were capable of suppressing the proliferation and
cytokine responses to primary and subsequent allogeneic challenges.
In conclusion, Treg subsets from CB display different phenotypic and functional properties to
AB Treg. These properties of CB Treg may clarify the cellular interactions in clinical settings
in which CB is currently used and highlight potential future uses.
Keywords:
- Correction
- Source
- Cite
- Save
- Machine Reading By IdeaReader
0
References
0
Citations
NaN
KQI