In vivo dynamics of antigen-specific regulatory T cells not predicted from behavior in vitro.
Adoptive transfer of antigen-specific CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells was used to analyze the stability of their phenotype, their behavior after immunization, and their mode of suppressing cotransferred naive T cells in vivo. We found that regulatory T cells maintained their phenotype in the absence of antigen, were not anergic in vivo, and proliferated as extensively as naive CD4+ T cells after immunization without losing their suppressive function in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, the expansion of cotransferred naive T cells was suppressed relatively late in the response such that regulatory T cells expressing mostly IL-10 but not IL-2 or IFN-gamma represented the dominant subset of cells. Our results reveal properties of regulatory T cells that were not predicted from in vitro studies.
Klein
Ludger
L
Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, Smith 736, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Khazaie
Khashayarsha
K
von Boehmer
Harald
H
D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006388:Hemagglutinins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology
D000941:Antigens; D006388:Hemagglutinins; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2