title: TREG-cell therapies for autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
abstract: Naturally occurring Foxp3(+)CD25(+)CD4(+) regulatory T (TREG) cells maintain immunological self-tolerance and prevent a variety of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. In animal models of rheumatic disease, autoimmune responses can be controlled by re-establishing the T-cell balance in favour of TREG cells. Here we discuss three potential strategies for the clinical use of TREG cells to treat autoimmune rheumatic disease: expansion of self-antigen-specific natural TREG cells in vivo; propagation of antigen-specific natural TREG cells ex vivo, by in vitro antigenic stimulation, and subsequent transfer back into the host; or conversion of antigen-specific conventional T cells into TREG cells in vivo or ex vivo. These strategies require depletion of the effector T cells that mediate autoimmunity before initiating TREG-cell-based therapies. Immunotherapies that target TREG cells, and the balance of TREG cells and autoreactive T cells, are therefore an important modality for the treatment of autoimmune rheumatic disease.
authors: Department of Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, APHP, 83 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France.
authors: Makoto
authors: M
authors: Miyara
authors: Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
authors: Yoshinaga
authors: Y
authors: Ito
authors: Department of Experimental Immunology, WPI Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors: Shimon
authors: S
authors: Sakaguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory