title: Mesenchymal stem cells and adaptive immune responses.
abstract: Over the past decade, our understanding of the regulatory role of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in adaptive immune responses through both preclinical and clinical studies has dramatically expanded, providing great promise for treating various inflammatory diseases. Most studies are focused on the modulatory effects of these cells on the properties of T cell-mediated immune responses, including activation, proliferation, survival, and subset differentiation. Interestingly, the immunosuppressive function of MSCs was found to be licensed by IFN-γ and TNF-α produced by T cells and that can be further amplified by cytokines such as IL-17. However, the immunosuppressive function of MSCs can be reversed in certain situation, such as suboptimal levels of inflammatory cytokines, or in the presence of immunosuppressive molecules. Here we review the influence of MSCs on adaptive immune system, especially their bidirectional interaction in tuning the immune microenvironment and subsequently repairing damaged tissue. Understanding MSC-mediated regulation of T cells is expected to provide fundamental information for guiding appropriate applications of MSCs in clinical settings.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Institute of Health Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Institute of Health Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Institute of Health Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Jianchang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Institute of Health Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Institute of Health Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China; The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Institutes for Translational Medicine, Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Suzhou 215123, China. Electronic address: shiyufang2@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yufang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000276:immunology*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D018448:Models, Immunological; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D020381:Interleukin-17; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma
keywords: Adaptive immune responses; Immunoregulation; Mesenchymal stem cells; Plasticity