Immunologic tolerance maintained by CD25⁺ CD4⁺ regulatory T cells: their common role in controlling autoimmunity, tumor immunity, and transplantation tolerance

Abstract

Summary: There is accumulating evidence that T‐cell‐mediated dominant control of self‐reactive T‐cells contributes to the maintenance of immunologic self‐tolerance and its alteration can cause autoimmune disease. Efforts to delineate such a regulatory T‐cell population have revealed that CD25 + cells in the CD4 + population in normal naive animals bear the ability to prevent autoimmune disease in vivo and, upon antigenic stimulation, suppress the activation/proliferation of other T cells in vitro . The CD25 + CD4 + regulatory T cells, which are naturally anergic and suppressive, appear to be produced by the normal thymus as a functionally distinct subpopulation of T cells. They play critical roles not only in preventing autoimmunity but also in controlling tumor immunity and transplantation tolerance.

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Affiliated Institutions

• Kyoto University JP
• University of Tsukuba JP
• Jikei University School of Medicine JP
• Mie University JP
• Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology JP

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