title: Becoming self-aware: the thymic education of regulatory T cells.
abstract: The generation of Foxp3(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells in the thymus is essential for immune homeostasis. In the past several years, substantial progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms by which a minor portion of developing thymocytes are selected to become Treg cells. Although previously controversial, recent data support the importance of TCR specificity as a primary determinant for selecting self-reactive thymocytes to become Treg cells in a multi-step process involving cytokines, co-stimulatory molecules, and a variety of antigen-presenting cells. Importantly, the antigenic niche for Treg cell development appears to be typically quite small, implying the recognition of tissue-specific, rather than ubiquitous, self-antigens. Finally, it appears that an NF-κB transcription factor, c-Rel, may be the link between TCR recognition and the induction of Foxp3 expression, which is required for the function and stability of the natural Treg cell population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Chan-Wang J
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lio
authors.forename: Chyi-Song
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Hsieh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D015551:Autoimmunity; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell