Fig. 6

TGF-β1 reverses the effect of autophagy on MSC-mediated CD4⁺ T cell differentiation. a, b Lentiviruses were used to diminish and overexpress TGF-β1 in MSCs. TGF-β1 overexpression was defined as TGF-β1 (NC, negative control), and TGF-β1 knockdown was defined as shTGF-β1 (shNC, negative control). The western blotting and ELISA results showed that TGF-β1 overexpression increased MSC TGF-β1 protein level and secretion, while shTGF-β1 exerted the opposite result. c The flow cytometry results showed that TGF-β1 overexpression increased the Treg ratio in the 3-MA group, and shTGF-β1 decreased the Treg ratio in the rapamycin group. d TGF-β1 overexpression decreased the ratio of Th1 cells in the 3-MA group, and shTGF-β1 increased the ratio of Th1 cells in the rapamycin group. e The CBA results indicated TGF-β1 overexpression reduced the inflammatory cytokines (IL-17A, IFN-γ, and IL-2) in the 3-MA group, while shTGF-β1 increased them in the rapamycin group. Values are presented as the means ± SD of 18 samples per group. * indicates P < 0.05