title: CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells and graft-versus-host disease.
abstract: Peripheral suppression of autoreactive T cells by specialized T-cell populations is one of several mechanisms ensuring self-tolerance within the adaptive immune system. Thymus-derived CD4+CD25+ T cells expressing the transcriptional repressor FOXP3 mediate such immunoregulatory functions and are pivotal for the prevention of autoimmunity. As peripheral tolerance induction is a prerequisite for successful treatment outcome after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), the role of CD4+CD25+ T cells in transplantation models and clinical trials is now under investigation in many laboratories. Here we summarize recent results regarding protection from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) by adoptively transferred CD4+CD25+ T cells in mice and discuss early findings from clinical studies in HSCT.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology and the Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Edinger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D020544:Graft vs Leukemia Effect / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2