Foxp3+ regulatory T cells maintain the bone marrow microenvironment for B cell lymphopoiesis

Nat Commun. 2017 May 9:8:15068. doi: 10.1038/ncomms15068.

Abstract

Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg cells) modulate the immune system and maintain self-tolerance, but whether they affect haematopoiesis or haematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-mediated reconstitution after transplantation is unclear. Here we show that B-cell lymphopoiesis is impaired in Treg-depleted mice, yet this reduced B-cell lymphopoiesis is rescued by adoptive transfer of affected HSCs or bone marrow cells into Treg-competent recipients. B-cell reconstitution is abrogated in both syngeneic and allogeneic transplantation using Treg-depleted mice as recipients. Treg cells can control physiological IL-7 production that is indispensable for normal B-cell lymphopoiesis and is mainly sustained by a subpopulation of ICAM1+ perivascular stromal cells. Our study demonstrates that Treg cells are important for B-cell differentiation from HSCs by maintaining immunological homoeostasis in the bone marrow microenvironment, both in physiological conditions and after bone marrow transplantation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Bone Marrow / immunology*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cellular Microenvironment*
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors / metabolism*
  • Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / metabolism
  • Interleukin-7 / biosynthesis
  • Lymphocyte Depletion
  • Lymphopoiesis / immunology*
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Models, Biological
  • Stromal Cells / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology*
  • Transplantation, Homologous

Substances

  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • Foxp3 protein, mouse
  • Interleukin-7
  • Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1