| First Author | Zelenay S | Year | 2010 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 185 |
| Issue | 7 | Pages | 3829-33 |
| PubMed ID | 20817879 | Mgi Jnum | J:164298 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4831069 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.1001281 |
| Citation | Zelenay S, et al. (2010) Cutting edge: Intrathymic differentiation of adaptive Foxp3+ regulatory T cells upon peripheral proinflammatory immunization. J Immunol 185(7):3829-33 |
| abstractText | Thymocytes differentiate into CD4(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (T(R)) upon interaction between their TCR and peptide-MHC II complexes locally expressed in the thymus. Conversion of naive CD4(+) T cells into T(R) can additionally take place in the periphery under noninflammatory conditions of Ag encounter. In this study, making use of TCR transgenic models naturally devoid of Foxp3(+) cells, we report de novo generation of T(R) upon a single footpad injection of Ag mixed with a classic proinflammatory adjuvant. Abrupt T(R) differentiation upon immunization occurred intrathymically and was essential for robust tolerance induction in a mouse model of spontaneous encephalomyelitis. This phenomenon could be attributed to a specific feature of thymocytes, which, in contrast to mature peripheral CD4(+) T cells, were insensitive to the inhibitory effects of IL-6 on the induction of Foxp3 expression. Our findings uncover a pathway for T(R) generation with major implications for immunity and tolerance induction. |
