title: Natural and induced CD4+CD25+ cells educate CD4+CD25- cells to develop suppressive activity: the role of IL-2, TGF-beta, and IL-10.
abstract: Thymus-derived, natural CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells can educate peripheral CD4(+)CD25(-) cells to develop suppressive activity by poorly understood mechanisms. TGF-beta has IL-2-dependent costimulatory effects on alloactivated naive, human CD4(+) T cells and induces them ex vivo to become potent contact-dependent, cytokine-independent suppressor cells. In this study, we report that CD4(+)CD25(+) cells are the targets of the costimulatory effects of IL-2 and TGF-beta. These cells do not divide, but, instead, greatly increase the numbers of CD4(+)CD25(-) cells that become CD25(+) cytokine-independent suppressor cells. These CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory cells, in turn, induce other alloactivated CD4(+)CD25(-) cells to become potent suppressor cells by mechanisms that, surprisingly, require both cell contact and TGF-beta and IL-10. The suppressive effects of these secondary CD4(+)CD25(+) cells depend upon TGF-beta and IL-10. Moreover, both the naive CD4(+) cells induced by IL-2 and TGF-beta to become suppressor cells, and the subsequent CD4(+)CD25(-) cells educated by them to become suppressors express FoxP3. We suggest that the long-term effects of adoptively transferred natural-like CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory cells induced ex vivo are due to their ability to generate new cytokine-producing CD4(+) regulatory T cells in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
authors.forename: Song Guo
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Ju Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: J Dixon
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Soucier
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Horwitz
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000502:physiology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000502:physiology*; D007399:Interphase / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D018448:Models, Immunological; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D016753:Interleukin-10