1. Engineering human stellate cells for beta cell replacement therapy promotes in vivo recruitment of regulatory T cells
- Author
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Department of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Oran, Dilem Ceren; Lokumcu, Tolga; Bal, Tuǧba; İnceoğlu, Yasemin; Albayrak, Özgür; Erkan, Mert M.; Kurtoglu, Metin; Can, Füsun (ORCID 0000-0001-9387-2526 & YÖK ID 103165); Önder, Tuğba Bağcı (ORCID 0000-0003-3646-2613 & YÖK ID 184359); Kızılel, Seda (ORCID 0000-0001-9092-2698 & YÖK ID 28376); Akolpoğlu, Mükrime Birgül, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Oran, Dilem Ceren; Lokumcu, Tolga; Bal, Tuǧba; İnceoğlu, Yasemin; Albayrak, Özgür; Erkan, Mert M.; Kurtoglu, Metin; Can, Füsun (ORCID 0000-0001-9387-2526 & YÖK ID 103165); Önder, Tuğba Bağcı (ORCID 0000-0003-3646-2613 & YÖK ID 184359); Kızılel, Seda (ORCID 0000-0001-9092-2698 & YÖK ID 28376); Akolpoğlu, Mükrime Birgül
- Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterized by destruction of pancreatic β cells. One of the promising therapeutic approaches in T1D is the transplantation of islets; however, it has serious limitations. To address these limitations, immunotherapeutic strategies have focused on restoring immunologic tolerance, preventing transplanted cell destruction by patients’ own immune system. Macrophage-derived chemokines such as chemokine-ligand-22 (CCL22) can be utilized for regulatory T cell (Treg) recruitment and graft tolerance. Stellate cells (SCs) have various immunomodulatory functions: recruitment of Tregs and induction of T-cell apoptosis. Here, we designed a unique immune-privileged microenvironment around implantable islets through overexpression of CCL22 proteins by SCs. We prepared pseudoislets with insulin-secreting mouse insulinoma-6 (MIN6) cells and human SCs as a model to mimic naive islet morphology. Our results demonstrated that transduced SCs can secrete CCL22 and recruit Tregs toward the implantation site in vivo. This study is promising to provide a fundamental understanding of SC-islet interaction and ligand synthesis and transport from SCs at the graft site for ensuring local immune tolerance. Our results also establish a new paradigm for creating tolerable grafts for other chronic diseases such as diabetes, anemia, and central nervous system (CNS) diseases, and advance the science of graft tolerance.
- Published
- 2019