title: Antigen-specific regulatory T cells--ex vivo expansion and therapeutic potential.
abstract: CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Treg) are critical for the regulation of tolerance and have shown enormous potential in suppressing pathological immune responses in autoimmune disease, transplantation, and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Recent data indicate that suppression of organ-specific autoimmunity is critically dependent on the antigen specificity of the Treg. An emerging model of Treg action is that organ-specific Treg acquire suppressive activity through activation by dendritic cells expressing organ-derived antigens. Thus, efficacy of Treg-based therapy should be increased by using organ-specific Treg rather than polyclonal Treg. This necessitates the ability to identify relevant antigens and to expand rare antigen-specific Treg from diverse polyclonal populations. Here, we consider the importance of antigen specificity in Treg function and discuss recent advances for the expansion of antigen-specific Treg and the therapeutic potential of Treg in controlling autoimmunity and GVHD.
authors.affiliation: UCSF Diabetes Center, Department of Medicine, University of California, 513 Parnassus Avenue, HSW 1118, Box 0540, San Francisco, CA 94143-0540, USA.
authors.forename: Emma L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Masteller
authors.forename: Qizhi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bluestone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*
chemical_list: D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte