The origin of FOXP3-expressing CD4+ regulatory T cells: thymus or periphery.
Naturally arising CD4+ regulatory T cells, which engage in the maintenance of immunologic self-tolerance, specifically express FOXP3, which encodes a transcription-repressor protein. Genetic defects in FOXP3 cause IPEX, an X-linked autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome. With FOXP3 as a specific marker for regulatory CD4+ T cells in humans, it is now possible to determine their origin and developmental pathway.
Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, 53 Shogin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan. shimon@frontier.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Shimon
S
Sakaguchi
D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D006801:Humans; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2