TGF-β3 Inhibits Antibody Production by Human B Cells

PLoS One. 2017 Jan 4;12(1):e0169646. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169646. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

TGF-β is a pleotropic cytokine involved in various biological processes. Of the three isoforms of TGF-β, TGF-β1 has long been recognized as an important inhibitory cytokine in the immune system and has been reported to inhibit B cell function in both mice and humans. Recently, it has been suggested that TGF-β3 may play an important role in the regulation of immune system in mice. Murine CD4+CD25-LAG3+ regulatory T cells suppress B cell function through the production of TGF-β3, and it has been reported that TGF-β3 is therapeutic in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus. The effect of TGF-β3 on human B cells has not been reported, and we herein examined the effect of TGF-β3 on human B cells. TGF-β3 suppressed B cell survival, proliferation, differentiation into plasmablasts, and antibody secretion. Although the suppression of human B cells by TGF-β1 has long been recognized, the precise mechanism for the suppression of B cell function by TGF-β1 remains elusive; therefore, we examined the effect of TGF-β1 and β3 on pathways important in B cell activation and differentiation. TGF-β1 and TGF-β3 inhibited some of the key molecules of the cell cycle, as well as transcription factors important in B cell differentiation into antibody secreting cells such as IRF4, Blimp-1, and XBP1. TGF-β1 and β3 also inhibited B cell receptor signaling. Our results suggest that TGF-β3 modifying therapy might be therapeutic in autoimmune diseases with B cell dysregulation in humans.

MeSH terms

  • Antibody Formation / drug effects*
  • Antibody-Producing Cells / drug effects
  • Antibody-Producing Cells / metabolism
  • B-Lymphocytes / drug effects
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Cell Differentiation / drug effects
  • Cytidine Deaminase / genetics
  • Cytidine Deaminase / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin A / genetics
  • Immunoglobulin A / metabolism
  • Immunoglobulin G / genetics
  • Immunoglobulin G / metabolism
  • Phosphorylation / drug effects
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Smad Proteins / metabolism
  • Syk Kinase / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / pharmacology
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta3 / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Immunoglobulin A
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Smad Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta3
  • Syk Kinase
  • AICDA (activation-induced cytidine deaminase)
  • Cytidine Deaminase

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) (23229007) (received by KY and KF) and KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) (15K19566) (received by SS) from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science [https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-grants/index.html]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.