Next Generation Sequencing unveils the impact of CD4+ regulatory T cell (Treg)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) on the transcriptome of CD4+ T cells.

Purpose: The goal of this study was the transcriptome high-throughput data analysis of CD4+ T cells isolated from peripheral blood of healthy subjects and T cell receptor (TCR)-stimulated in vitro in the presence of Treg cell-derived EVs, compared with Tconv cell-derived EVs, or with control (mock) EVs (particles isolated from unconditioned medium). Methods: total RNA profile of human CD4+ T cells from healthy subjects. Libraries were prepared for sequencing on NextSeq 500 (llumina technology). Results: Paired differential expression and pathway enrichment analysis showed that CD4+ T cells treated with Treg cell-derived EVs are characterized by lower expression level of a plethora of transcripts linked to protein catabolism and cell growth. Conclusions: Several transcripts are differently regulated between CD4+ T cells treated with Treg cell-derived EVs and the same cells treated with either Tconv cell-derived EVs or mock EV controls. Overall design: CD4+ T cell mRNA profiles of 3 healthy subjects treated with Treg cell-derived EVs, or Tconv cell-derived EVs or controls were generated by deep sequencing, using Illumina platform.