Clinical-Grade Human Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cells Block CD8+ Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes.

: MultiStem cells are clinical-grade multipotent adult bone marrow-derived progenitor cells (MAPCs), with extensive replication potential and broader differentiation capacity compared with mesenchymal stem cells. Human MAPCs suppress T-cell proliferation induced by alloantigens and mutually interact with allogeneic natural killer cells. In this study, the interaction between MultiStem and CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) was addressed for the first time. In an in vitro setting, the immunogenicity of MultiStem, the susceptibility of MultiStem toward CTL-mediated lysis, and its effects on CTL function were investigated. MultiStem was nonimmunogenic for alloreactive CTL induction and was-even after major histocompatibility complex class I upregulation-insensitive to alloantigen-specific CTL-mediated lysis. Furthermore, MultiStem reduced CTL proliferation and significantly decreased perforin expression during the T-cell activation phase. As a consequence, MultiStem dose-dependently impaired the induction of CTL function. These effects of MultiStem were mediated predominantly through contact-dependent mechanisms. Moreover, MultiStem cells considerably influenced the expression of T-cell activation markers CD25, CD69, and human leukocyte antigen-DR. The MultiStem-induced CD8-CD69+ T-cell population displayed a suppressive effect on the induction of CTL function during a subsequent mixed-lymphocyte culture. Finally, the killer activity of activated antigen-specific CTLs during their cytolytic effector phase was also diminished in the presence of MultiStem. This study confirms that these clinical-grade MAPCs are an immune-modulating population that inhibits CTL activation and effector responses and are, consequently, a highly valuable cell population for adoptive immunosuppressive therapy in diseases where damage is induced by CTLs. SIGNIFICANCE: Because multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs) are among the noteworthy adult mesenchymal stem cell populations for immune therapy and have the advantage over mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of large-scale manufacturing and banking potential and thus prompt availability, it is important to understand how MAPCs interact with immune cells to validate their widespread therapeutic applicability. Cytotoxic immune effector cells play a crucial role in immune homeostasis and in the pathogenesis of some autoimmune diseases. This study assessed for the first time the in vitro influence of a clinical-grade human MAPC product (MultiStem) on the cytotoxic function of CD8+ T cells (CTLs) by evaluating the immunogenicity of MAPCs and the susceptibility of MAPCs toward CTL-mediated lysis and by analyzing the mechanism of MAPC-mediated modulation of CTL functionality. These results may represent a highly relevant contribution to the current knowledge and, in combination with the results of future phase II/III trials using MultiStem, could lead to an intriguing continuation of stem cell-based research for immunotherapy.

Mutual interaction between human multipotent adult progenitor cells and NK cells.

Human multipotent adult progenitor cells (hMAPCs) are isolated from bone marrow with a more extensive expansion capacity compared to human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and with the ability to differentiate into endothelium. Like hMSCs, hMAPCs inhibit T-cell proliferation induced by alloantigens. In this study, we tested the interaction between hMAPCs and natural killer (NK) cells. We assessed the susceptibility of hMAPCs to NK cell-mediated lysis and the immunomodulation of hMAPCs on NK cell function during IL-2-driven stimulation and the cytolytic effector phase. Human MAPCs express the ligands PVR and ULBP-2/5/6, which are recognized by activating NK cell receptors. However, they also express MHC class I molecules, which induce inhibitory signals in NK cells. Freshly isolated NK cells at different effector:target ratios did not kill hMAPCs as assessed by an MTT and (51)Cr-release assay, while hMAPCs impaired the cytotoxic activity of resting NK cells against the NK-sensitive K562 leukemia cell line. By contrast, IL-2-stimulated NK cells were capable of killing hMAPCs, and preactivated NK cells were not influenced during their cytotoxic effector function against K562 cells by hMAPCs. When added during the 6-day preactivation phase with IL-2, hMAPCs dose-dependently reduced NK cell proliferation in an IDO-dependent manner, but they did not influence the induction of cytotoxic capacity by IL-2. This study indicates that human MAPCs mutually interact with NK cells.