title: Neuropilin-1 is not a marker of human Foxp3+ Treg.
abstract: Treg are immune cells that play a critical role in the regulation of the immune response. Although the transcription factor Foxp3 is widely accepted as the standard marker of Treg, specific surface markers are needed to better characterize these cells and decipher their mechanisms of action. Neuropilin-1 (Nrp-1), a membrane protein primarily involved in the nervous system, was identified as a specific marker of murine Treg, but its expression has not been rigorously investigated in human Treg. Here we show that in contrast to murine Treg and regardless of their origins (blood, thymus, spleen, lymph node or tonsil), human Foxp3(+) Treg do not specifically express Nrp-1. However, a population of Foxp3(-) Nrp-1(+) T cells can be detected in human secondary lymphoid organs, and Nrp-1 expression is induced on peripheral blood T lymphocytes upon in vitro activation. We conclude that Nrp-1 cannot be used as a specific marker of human Treg, but might represent a novel activation marker of human T cells both in vitro and in vivo.
authors.affiliation: CNRS UMR 8147, Université Paris Descartes, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Milpied
authors.forename: Amédée
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Renand
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bruneau
authors.forename: Daniella A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Mendes-da-Cruz
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jacquelin
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Asnafi
authors.forename: Marie-Thérèse
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: MacIntyre
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lepelletier
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hermine
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000378:metabolism; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000378:metabolism; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D039942:Neuropilin-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D039942:Neuropilin-1