Control of regulatory T cell lineage commitment and maintenance.
Foxp3-expressing regulatory T (Treg) cells suppress pathology mediated by immune responses against self and foreign antigens and commensal microorganisms. Sustained expression of the transcription factor Foxp3, a key distinguishing feature of Treg cells, is required for their differentiation and suppressor function. In addition, Foxp3 expression prevents deviation of Treg cells into effector T cell lineages and confers dependence of Treg cell survival and expansion on growth factors, foremost interleukin-2, provided by activated effector T cells. In this review we discuss Treg cell differentiation and maintenance with a particular emphasis on molecular regulation of Foxp3 expression, arguably a key to mechanistic understanding of biology of regulatory T cells.
Josefowicz
Steven Z
SZ
Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA. josefows@mskcc.org
Rudensky
Alexander
A
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology*; D019070:Cell Lineage; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology
D016207:Cytokines; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D011494:Protein Kinases