Regulatory T cell

The regulatory T cells (Tregs /ˈtiːrɛɡ/), formerly known as suppressor T cells, are a subpopulation of T cells that modulate the immune system, maintain tolerance to self-antigens, and prevent autoimmune disease. Tregs are immunosuppressive and generally suppress or downregulate induction and proliferation of effector T cells. Tregs express the biomarkers CD4, FOXP3, and CD25 and are thought to be derived from the same lineage as naïve CD4 cells. Because effector T cells also express CD4 and CD25, Tregs are very difficult to effectively discern from effector CD4+, making them difficult to study. Recent research has found that the cytokine TGFβ is essential for Tregs to differentiate from naïve CD4+ cells and is important in maintaining Treg homeostasis. The regulatory T cells (Tregs /ˈtiːrɛɡ/), formerly known as suppressor T cells, are a subpopulation of T cells that modulate the immune system, maintain tolerance to self-antigens, and prevent autoimmune disease. Tregs are immunosuppressive and generally suppress or downregulate induction and proliferation of effector T cells. Tregs express the biomarkers CD4, FOXP3, and CD25 and are thought to be derived from the same lineage as naïve CD4 cells. Because effector T cells also express CD4 and CD25, Tregs are very difficult to effectively discern from effector CD4+, making them difficult to study. Recent research has found that the cytokine TGFβ is essential for Tregs to differentiate from naïve CD4+ cells and is important in maintaining Treg homeostasis. Mouse models have suggested that modulation of Tregs can treat autoimmune disease and cancer and can facilitate organ transplantation and wound healing. Their implications for cancer are complicated. Tregs tend to be upregulated in individuals with cancer, and they seem to be recruited to the site of many tumors. Studies in both humans and animal models have implicated that high numbers of Tregs in the tumor microenvironment is indicative of a poor prognosis, and Tregs are thought to suppress tumor immunity, thus hindering the body's innate ability to control the growth of cancerous cells. Recent immunotherapy research is studying how regulation of T cells could possibly be utilized in the treatment of cancer. T regulatory cells are a component of the immune system that suppress immune responses of other cells. This is an important 'self-check' built into the immune system to prevent excessive reactions. Regulatory T cells come in many forms with the most well-understood being those that express CD4, CD25, and FOXP3 (CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells). These 'Tregs' are different from helper T cells. Another regulatory T cell subset is Treg17 cells. Regulatory T cells are involved in shutting down immune responses after they have successfully eliminated invading organisms, and also in preventing autoimmunity. CD4+ Foxp3+ CD25(high) regulatory T cells have been called 'naturally occurring' regulatory T cells to distinguish them from 'suppressor' T cell populations that are generated in vitro. Additional regulatory T cell populations include Tr1, Th3, CD8+CD28-, and Qa-1 restricted T cells. The contribution of these populations to self-tolerance and immune homeostasis is less well defined. Foxp3 can be used as a good marker for mouse CD4+CD25+ T cells, although recent studies have also shown evidence for Foxp3 expression in CD4+CD25- T cells. In humans, Foxp3 is also expressed by recently activated conventional T-cells and thus does not specifically identify human Tregs. All T cells derive from progenitor cells in the bone marrow, which become committed to their lineage in the thymus. All T cells begin as CD4-CD8-TCR- cells at the DN (double-negative) stage, where an individual cell will rearrange its T cell receptor genes to form a unique, functional molecule, which they, in turn, test against cells in the thymic cortex for a minimal level of interaction with self-MHC. If they receive these signals, they proliferate and express both CD4 and CD8, becoming double-positive cells. The selection of Tregs occurs on radio-resistant hematopoietically-derived MHC class II-expressing cells in the medulla or Hassal’s corpuscles in the thymus. At the DP (double-positive) stage, they are selected by their interaction with the cells within the thymus, begin the transcription of Foxp3, and become Treg cells, although they may not begin to express Foxp3 until the single-positive stage, at which point they are functional Tregs. Tregs do not have the limited TCR expression of NKT or γδ T cells; Tregs have a larger TCR diversity than effector T cells, biased towards self-peptides. The process of Treg selection is determined by the affinity of interaction with the self-peptide MHC complex. Selection to become a Treg is a “Goldilocks” process; a T cell that receives very strong signals will undergo apoptotic death; a cell that receives a weak signal will survive and be selected to become an effector cell. If a T cell receives an intermediate signal, then it will become a regulatory cell. Due to the stochastic nature of the process of T cell activation, all T cell populations with a given TCR will end up with a mixture of Teff and Treg – the relative proportions determined by the affinities of the T cell for the self-peptide-MHC. Even in mouse models with TCR-transgenic cells selected on specific-antigen-secreting stroma, deletion or conversion is not complete. Foxp3+ Treg generation in the thymus is delayed by several days compared to Teff cells and does not reach adult levels in either the thymus or periphery until around three weeks post-partum. Treg cells require CD28 co-stimulation and B7.2 expression is largely restricted to the medulla, the development of which seems to parallel the development of Foxp3+ cells. It has been suggested that the two are linked, but no definitive link between the processes has yet been shown. TGF-β is not required for Treg functionality, in the thymus, as thymic Tregs from TGF-β insensitive TGFβRII-DN mice are functional. The immune system must be able to discriminate between self and non-self. When self/non-self discrimination fails, the immune system destroys cells and tissues of the body and as a result causes autoimmune diseases. Regulatory T cells actively suppress activation of the immune system and prevent pathological self-reactivity, i.e. autoimmune disease. The critical role regulatory T cells play within the immune system is evidenced by the severe autoimmune syndrome that results from a genetic deficiency in regulatory T cells (IPEX syndrome – see also below). The molecular mechanism by which regulatory T cells exert their suppressor/regulatory activity has not been definitively characterized and is the subject of intense research. In vitro experiments have given mixed results regarding the requirement of cell-to-cell contact with the cell being suppressed. The following represent some of the proposed mechanisms of immune suppression: