The Human IL-23 Decoy Receptor Inhibits T-Cells Producing IL-17 by Genetically Engineered Mesenchymal Stem Cells

The immunomodulatory and self-renewable features of human adipose mesenchymal stem cells (hAD-MSCs) mark their importance in regenerative medicine. Interleukin 23 (IL- 23) as a proinflammatory cytokine suppresses T regulatory cells (Treg) and promotes the response of T helper 17 (Th17) and T helper 1 (Th1) cells. This pathway starts inflammation and immunosuppression in several autoimmune diseases. The current study for producing recombinant IL- 23 decoy receptor (RIL- 23R) using hAD-MSCs as a good candidate for ex vivo cell-based gene therapy purposes reducing inflammation in autoimmune diseases. hAD-MSCs was isolated from lipoaspirate and then characterized by differentiation. RIL- 23R was designed and cloned into a pCDH-813A- 1 lentiviral vector. The transduction of hAD-MSCs was performed at MOI (multiplicity of infection) = 50 with pCDH- EFI α- RIL- 23R- PGK copGFP. Expressions of RIL- 23R and octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT- 4) were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (real time-PCR). Self-renewing properties were assayed with OCT- 4. Bioactivity of the designed RIL- 23R was evaluated by IL- 17 and IL- 10 expression of mouse splenocytes. Cell differentiation confirmed the true isolation of hAD-MSCs from lipoaspirate. Restriction of the enzyme digestion and sequencing verified the successful cloning of RIL- 23R in the CD813A-1 lentiviral vector. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) positive transduction rate was up to 90%, and real-time PCR showed the expression level of RIL-23R. Oct-4 had a similar expression pattern with nontransduced hAD-MSCs and transduced hAD-MSCs/ RIL-23R indicating that lentiviral vector did not affect hAD-MSCs characteristics. Downregulation of IL-17 and upregulation of IL-10 showed the correct activity of the engineered hAD-MSCs. The results showed that the transduced hAD-MSCs/ RIL- 23R, expressing IL-23 decoy receptor, can give a useful approach for a basic research on cell-based gene therapy for autoimmune disorders.