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Naturally arising Foxp3-expressing CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells in immunological tolerance to self and non-self

Nature Immunology volume 6, pages 345–352 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Naturally arising CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells actively maintain immunological self-tolerance. Deficiency in or dysfunction of these cells can be a cause of autoimmune disease. A reduction in their number or function can also elicit tumor immunity, whereas their antigen-specific population expansion can establish transplantation tolerance. They are therefore a good target for designing ways to induce or abrogate immunological tolerance to self and non-self antigens.

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Figure 1: Linkage of central and peripheral tolerance by thymic production of natural CD25+CD4+ Treg cells that contribute to peripheral self-tolerance.
Figure 2: Control of Treg cell–associated molecules in natural Treg cells.
Figure 3: Induction of tolerance to organ grafts through in vivo or ex vivo antigen-specific population expansion of Treg cells.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks Z. Fehervari for critically reading the manuscript. Supported by grants-in-aids from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture; the Ministry of Human Welfare; Research Center for Allergy and Immunology; Institute for Physical and Chemical Research; and Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology Program, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan.

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  1. Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan

    Shimon Sakaguchi

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Sakaguchi, S. Naturally arising Foxp3-expressing CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells in immunological tolerance to self and non-self. Nat Immunol 6, 345–352 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni1178

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