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CD52 as both a marker and an effector molecule of T cells with regulatory action: Identification of novel regulatory T cells

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 10, pages 456–458 (2013)Cite this article

Regulation of immune responses is central to an effective clearance of pathogens. An effective immune response is also necessary for preventing the development of cancer and autoimmune diseases and for maintaining homeostasis. Although the thymus is the central lymphoid organ that regulates immune responses for self-tolerance during the maturation of T cells, regulatory immune cells are still required for the proper functioning of mature immune cells in the periphery. Regulatory cells are a subpopulation of immune cells that suppress proliferation and cytokine production by other immune cells in response to antigenic stimulation. Although cells with regulatory functions have been identified in almost all of the major immune cell populations, regulatory T cells are still the dominant and most intensely studied type. Several types of regulatory T cells have been identified, including CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells (Tregs), which are also positive for Foxp3, the master regulator of Treg development.1

Tregs are the most prominent regulatory cell type with established functions. Natural Tregs develop in the thymus, and inducible or adaptive Tregs develop in the periphery. The use of Tregs is potentially an attractive therapeutic option in the clinical management of autoimmune diseases or rejection of organ transplantation. However, a lack of stable and specific markers2 and a lack of antigen specificity has prevented the development of this cell type into a safe and effective cellular therapeutic. Therefore, the identification of novel Tregs that have manageable markers and antigen specificity has important theoretical and practical implications. The number of newly identified Tregs has been increasing.3 Bandala-Sanchez et al.4 reported in the May nineteenth issue of Nature Immunology the identification of a novel pancreatic islet autoantigen-specific CD4+ Treg that expressed high levels of cell surface marker CD52. Soluble CD52 was also used by the cell as an effector molecule for suppression.4 Therefore, the CD52 molecule is both a surface marker and an effector molecule of this novel regulatory T-cell subset.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by grants (AI099345 and AI097667) from the National Institutes of Health, USA.

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  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Pulmonary and Infectious Disease Control, University of Texas Health Science Center, Tyler, TX, USA

    Buka Samten

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Samten, B. CD52 as both a marker and an effector molecule of T cells with regulatory action: Identification of novel regulatory T cells. Cell Mol Immunol 10, 456–458 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/cmi.2013.38

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