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Nature Immunology 10, 563–564 (1 June 2009) | doi:10.1038/ni0609-563

Hybrid Treg cells: steel frames and plastic exteriors

Michael J Barnes & Fiona Powrie

The differentiation and functional specialization of effector CD4+ T cells (Teff cells) allows for effective immune responses to diverse insults and occurs in response to combinations of antigen receptor, costimulatory, cytokine, metabolic and environmental signals. These cues trigger chromatin remodeling and the induction or repression of specific transcription factors after T cell activation.