Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a specialized subpopulation of T cells that act to suppress overactivation of the immune system and prevent it from turning upon self-tissues.

Initially, the expression of two cell surface molecules (CD4 and CD25) was used to define the Treg population of cells; as such they are often referred to as CD4+CD25+ Tregs. More recently the transcription factor Foxp3 has been identified to be exclusively expressed by Tregs and is known to play a key role in the conversion of CD4+CD25- T cells to CD4+CD25+ Tregs.

In a study in mice appearing online in August in advance of print publication in the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Jingwu Zhang and colleagues from the Shanghai Institute of Immunology have shown that interferon-gamma is required for the induction of Foxp3, resulting in the conversion of CD4+CD25- T cells to CD4+CD25+ Tregs. These results reflect the critical role that interferon-gamma plays in maintaining a balanced immune response: in the event of overt inflammation as a result of injury or infection, interferon-gamma acts as part of a self-regulatory mechanism to help keep the immune response in check by triggering the development of Tregs. This mechanism likely plays a role in other pathological conditions involving inflammation.



TITLE: Role of IFN-gamma in induction of Foxp3 and conversion of CD4+CD25- T cells to CD4+ Tregs

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Jingwu Zhang
Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
E-mail: jzangbcm.tmc.edu

View the PDF of this article at: https://www.the-jci/article.php?id=25826

JCI table of contents: August, 2006

Contact: Brooke Grindlinger
Journal of Clinical Investigation