Antigen-specific T cell repertoire modification of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells

Y Hayashi, S Tsukumo, H Shiota… - The Journal of …, 2004 - journals.aai.org
Y Hayashi, S Tsukumo, H Shiota, K Kishihara, K Yasutomo
The Journal of Immunology, 2004journals.aai.org
T cell immune responses are regulated by the interplay between effector and suppressor T
cells. Immunization with Ag leads to the selective expansion and survival of effector CD4+ T
cells with high affinity TCR against the Ag and MHC. However, it is not known if CD4+
CD25+ regulatory T cells (T reg) recognize the same Ag as effector T cells or whether Ag-
specific TCR repertoire modification occurs in T reg. In this study, we demonstrate that after a
primary Ag challenge, T reg proliferate and TCR repertoire modification is observed …
Abstract
T cell immune responses are regulated by the interplay between effector and suppressor T cells. Immunization with Ag leads to the selective expansion and survival of effector CD4+ T cells with high affinity TCR against the Ag and MHC. However, it is not known if CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (T reg) recognize the same Ag as effector T cells or whether Ag-specific TCR repertoire modification occurs in T reg. In this study, we demonstrate that after a primary Ag challenge, T reg proliferate and TCR repertoire modification is observed although both of these responses were lower than those in conventional T cells. The repertoire modification of Ag-specific T reg after primary Ag challenge augmented the total suppressive function of T reg against TCR repertoire modification but not against the proliferation of memory CD4+ T cells. These results reveal that T cell repertoire modification against a non-self Ag occurs in T reg, which would be crucial for limiting excess primary and memory CD4+ T cell responses. In addition, these studies provide evidence that manipulation of Ag-specific T reg is an ideal strategy for the clinical use of T reg.
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