TNFRSF4-expressing regulatory T cells promote immune escape of chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells

Purpose: The goal of this study was to compare transcriptome profile of FACS-purified bone marrow (BM) Tregs isolated from CML or naive mice. Methods: Transcriptomic profiles of BM Tregs from CML or naïve mice were assessed in biological replicates using Illumina NextSeq 500. Results: We mapped around 30 million sequence reads per sample to the mouse genome (GRCm38 - mm10) and identified expressed transcripts in FACS-purified BM Tregs isolated from CML or naive mice. RNA-seq data confirmed stable expression of known housekeeping genes. Differentially expressed genes between Tregs derived from the BM of CML and naïve mice were identified. Conclusions: Our study represents the first detailed RNA-seq analysis of FACS-purified BM Tregs isolated from CML or naive mice. Our results show that Tregs derived from the BM of CML mice have an increased metabolic activity, cell cycle activity and immunosuppressive capacity. BM Tregs from CML or naive mice were then isolated for RNA extraction and profiled using Illumina NextSeq 500.