TGF-β favors bone marrow-derived dendritic cells to acquire tolerogenic properties

Abstract

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most powerful antigen-presenting cells that have an important role in the immunity and immune tolerance. Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is a pleiotropic cytokine widely expressing in various tissues and cells, which regulates cellular proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of several immune cells and is considered to be a key factor in inducing immune tolerance. The effect of TGF-β on DCs is very complex. In this study, we further investigated the effect of TGF-β on inducing immune tolerance of DCs. DCs were differentiated from mice bone marrow cells in the absence or presence of TGF-β. The phenotype as well as function was studied in detail. We found that TGF-β limited the expression of CD40, CD83, CD86 and MHCII in DCs, increased CD45RB and indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO) expression in DCs, promoted IL-10 and limited IL-12 secretion by DCs. Moreover, TGF-β increased the endocytosis ability of DCs and limited the ability of DCs in activating T cells. These results suggest that TGF-β affects the immunity of DCs and enhances their tolerogenicity.

• Dendritic cells
• transforming growth factor β
• CD45RB
• indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase
• immune tolerance

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No 30973543, 81173075, 81330081) and the Key Program of the provincial universities Natural Science Foundation of China (No KJ2012A160).