IFN-gamma enhances the wound healing effect of late EPCs (LEPCs) via BST2-mediated adhesion to endothelial cells

Circulating late endothelial progenitor cells (LEPCs) home to injured vessels, initiating blood vessel regeneration. This process requires the initial adhesion of LEPCs to endothelial cells within the wounded site. In this study, treating LEPCs with IFN-gamma enhanced wound healing through BST2-mediated adhesion to endothelial cells. We found that IFN-gamma significantly upregulated BST2 expression in both LEPCs and ECs and increased tube formation in LEPCs. Upregulated BST2 increased LEPC adhesion to ECs through a tight homophilic interaction of its extracellular domain. Finally, when the IFN-gamma-treated LEPCs were injected into the wounded mouse tail vein, superior therapeutic effects of wound closure were observed. This study provides a useful application to enhance the adhesion of LEPCs for vessel regeneration and wound closure.