title: T cells with commitment issues.
abstract: T cells are a central element of cell-mediated immunity. Host detection of infectious agents leads to antigen presentation and release of cytokines that cause naïve T cells to develop into effector T cells or regulatory T cells (T(reg) cells). Effector T cells act to control the invading agents and mediate tissue inflammation. T(reg) cells maintain immune homeostasis by suppressing effector T cell responses to prevent collateral damage. Until recently, T cell differentiation into distinct subsets with different functions had been considered irreversible. However, new evidence suggests that some differentiated T cell subsets are more phenotypically flexible than others. Studying the plasticity of T cells and the underlying signaling mechanisms may lead to important clues for understanding immunity and autoimmunity.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal, CRCHUM-Notre-Dame Hospital, Pavilion JA DeSeve, 1560 Sherbrooke E, Montreal, QC, Canada H2L 4M1. raphael.schneider@umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schneider
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054337:Cell Dedifferentiation; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology*; D054338:Cell Transdifferentiation; D006801:Humans; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*