Oral tolerance: is it all retinoic acid?
Oral tolerance has been argued to depend on "special" presentation of antigen in the gut. New studies support this idea by showing that the catalysis of vitamin A into retinoic acid (RA) in gut-associated dendritic cells (DCs) enhances the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta-dependent conversion of naive T cells into regulatory T (T reg) cells and also directs T reg cell homing to the gut. These results reveal new tolerance mechanisms that will aid the use of T reg cells in the clinic.
von Boehmer
Harald
H
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. harald_von_boehmer@dfci.harvard.edu
D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008024:Ligands; D008954:Models, Biological; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000378:metabolism*
C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D008024:Ligands; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D014212:Tretinoin