Transforming growth factor beta induces fibroblasts to express and release the immunomodulatory protein PD-L1 into extracellular vesicles

Jeong Han Kang, Mi Yeon Jung, Malay Choudhury, Edward B. Leof

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) is an enigmatic protein with various roles in healthy tissue homeostasis/development as well as the development or progression of cancer, wound healing, fibrotic disorders, and immune modulation, to name a few. As TGFβ is causal to various fibroproliferative disorders featuring localized or systemic tissue/organ fibrosis as well as the activated stroma observed in various malignancies, characterizing the pathways and players mediating its action is fundamental. In the current study, we found that TGFβ induces the expression of the immunoinhibitory molecule Programed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in human and murine fibroblasts in a Smad2/3- and YAP/TAZ-dependent manner. Furthermore, PD-L1 knockdown decreased the TGFβ-dependent induction of extracellular matrix proteins, including collagen Iα1 (colIα1) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and cell migration/wound healing. In addition to an endogenous role for PD-L1 in profibrotic TGFβ signaling, TGFβ stimulated-human lung fibroblast-derived PD-L1 into extracellular vesicles (EVs) capable of inhibiting T cell proliferation in response to T cell receptor stimulation and mediating fibroblast cell migration. These findings provide new insights and potential targets for a variety of fibrotic and malignant diseases.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2213-2226
Number of pages14
JournalFASEB Journal
Volume34
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2020

Keywords

  • checkpoint inhibitor
  • extracellular vesicles
  • fibroblast
  • signaling

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

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