Horizontal transfer of mesenchymal stem cell-derived mitochondria and its effect on activated murine B lymphocytes

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are cells with high regenerative and immunosuppressive capacity that are known to be very potent donors of functional mitochondria to all surrounding cells, including immune cells. As metabolism shapes immune cell response and phenotype, mitochondrial transfer might be one of the main immunosuppressive mechanisms used by stem cells. However, the precise mechanism underlying horizontal mitochondrial transfer and its effect on some cell populations has yet to be discovered. In our project, we have shown that MSCs transfer mitochondria to B lymphocytes less efficiently in comparison to other immune populations. To describe the effect of mitochondrial transfer on activated B lymphocytes, MSCs were co-cultivated with B lymphocytes which were activated prior to co-cultivation. Then B cell acceptors and non-acceptors of mitochondria were sorted for further RNA isolation and the performance of bulk RNA-seq.