文章基本信息

标题：TGF-β regulates in vivo expansion of Foxp3-expressing CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells responsible for protection against diabetes
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作者：Yufeng Peng ; Yasmina Laouar ; Ming O. Li 等
期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：2004
卷号：101
期号：13
页码：4572-4577
DOI：10.1073/pnas.0400810101
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells are essential in the protection from organ-specific autoimmune diseases. In the pancreas, they inhibit actions of autoreactive T cells and thereby prevent diabetes progression. The signals that control the generation, the maintenance, or the expansion of regulatory T cell pool in vivo remain poorly understood. Here we show that a transient pulse of transforming growth factor {beta} (TGF-{beta}) in the islets during the priming phase of diabetes is sufficient to inhibit disease onset by promoting the expansion of intraislet CD4+CD25+ T cell pool. Approximately 40-50% of intraislet CD4+ T cells expressed the CD25 marker and exhibited characteristics of regulatory T cells including small size, high level of intracellular CTLA-4, expression of Foxp3, and transfer of protection against diabetes. Results from in vivo incorporation of BrdUrd revealed that the generation of a high frequency of regulatory T cells in the islets is due to in situ expansion upon TGF-{beta} expression. Thus, these findings demonstrate a previously uncharacterized mechanism by which TGF-{beta} inhibits autoimmune diseases via regulation of the size of the CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cell pool in vivo.