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A naturally occurring CD8+CD122+ T-cell subset as a memory-like Treg family

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 11, pages 326–331 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Despite extensive studies on CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) during the past decade, the progress on their clinical translation remains stagnant. Mounting evidence suggests that naturally occurring CD8+CD122+ T cells are also Tregs with the capacity to inhibit T-cell responses and suppress autoimmunity as well as alloimmunity. In fact, they are memory-like Tregs that resemble a central memory T cell (TCM) phenotype. The mechanisms underlying their suppression are still not well understood, although they may include IL-10 production. We have recently demonstrated that programmed death-1 (PD-1) expression distinguishes between regulatory and memory CD8+CD122+ T cells and that CD8+CD122+ Tregs undergo faster homeostatic proliferation and are more potent in the suppression of allograft rejection than conventional CD4+CD25+ Tregs. These findings may open a new line of investigation for accelerating effective Treg therapies in the clinic. In this review, we summarize the significant progress in this promising field of CD8+CD122+ Treg research and discuss their phenotypes, suppressive roles in autoimmunity and alloimmunity, functional requirements, mechanisms of action and potential applications in the clinic.

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Author notes

  1. Dr Z Dai, Center for Regenerative and Translational Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 55 NeiHuan Xi Lu, College Town, Guangzhou 510006, China. E-mail: zdai2009@outlook.com

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Immunology, Center for Regenerative and Translational Medicine,

    Shanshan Li, Qingfeng Xie, Shouhai Wu, Haixia Deng, Yang Xu & Zhenhua Dai

  2. Department of Nephrology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China

    Yuqun Zeng, Chuan Zou & Xusheng Liu

  3. Immunobiology and Transplantation Research Center, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA

    Xian C Li

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Li, S., Xie, Q., Zeng, Y. et al. A naturally occurring CD8+CD122+ T-cell subset as a memory-like Treg family. Cell Mol Immunol 11, 326–331 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/cmi.2014.25

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