| First Author | Komatsu N | Year | 2009 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 106 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 1903-8 |
| PubMed ID | 19174509 | Mgi Jnum | J:171646 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4950698 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.0811556106 |
| Citation | Komatsu N, et al. (2009) Heterogeneity of natural Foxp3+ T cells: a committed regulatory T-cell lineage and an uncommitted minor population retaining plasticity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106(6):1903-8 |
| abstractText | Natural regulatory T cells (T(reg)) represent a distinct lineage of T lymphocytes committed to suppressive functions, and expression of the transcription factor Foxp3 is thought to identify this lineage specifically. Here we report that, whereas the majority of natural CD4(+)Foxp3(+) T cells maintain stable Foxp3 expression after adoptive transfer to lymphopenic or lymphoreplete recipients, a minor fraction enriched within the CD25(-) subset actually lose it. Some of those Foxp3(-) T cells adopt effector helper T cell (T(h)) functions, whereas some retain 'memory' of previous Foxp3 expression, reacquiring Foxp3 upon activation. This minority 'unstable' population exhibits flexible responses to cytokine signals, relying on transforming growth factor-beta to maintain Foxp3 expression and responding to other cytokines by differentiating into effector T(h) in vitro. In contrast, CD4(+)Foxp3(+)CD25(high) T cells are resistant to such conversion to effector T(h) even after many rounds of cell division. These results demonstrate that natural Foxp3(+) T cells are a heterogeneous population consisting of a committed T(reg) lineage and an uncommitted subpopulation with developmental plasticity. |
