Genomic definition of multiple ex vivo regulatory T cell subphenotypes

M Feuerer, JA Hill, K Kretschmer… - Proceedings of the …, 2010 - National Acad Sciences
M Feuerer, JA Hill, K Kretschmer, H Von Boehmer, D Mathis, C Benoist
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010National Acad Sciences
Regulatory T (Treg) cells that express the Foxp3 transcription factor are essential for
lymphoid homeostasis and immune tolerance to self. Other nonimmunological functions of
Treg cells, such as controlling metabolic function in adipose tissue, are also emerging. Treg
cells originate primarily in the thymus, but can also be elicited from conventional T cells by in
vivo exposure to low-dose antigen or homeostatic expansion or by activation in the
presence of TGFβ in vitro. Treg cells are characterized by a distinct transcriptional signature …
Regulatory T (Treg) cells that express the Foxp3 transcription factor are essential for lymphoid homeostasis and immune tolerance to self. Other nonimmunological functions of Treg cells, such as controlling metabolic function in adipose tissue, are also emerging. Treg cells originate primarily in the thymus, but can also be elicited from conventional T cells by in vivo exposure to low-dose antigen or homeostatic expansion or by activation in the presence of TGFβ in vitro. Treg cells are characterized by a distinct transcriptional signature controlled in part, but not solely, by Foxp3. For a better perspective on transcriptional control in Treg cells, we compared gene expression profiles of a broad panel of Treg cells from various origins or anatomical locations. Treg cells generated by different means form different subphenotypes and were identifiable by particular combinations of transcripts, none of which fully encompassed the entire Treg signature. Molecules involved in Treg cell effector function, chemokine receptors, and the transcription factors that control them were differentially represented in these subphenotypes. Treg cells from the gut proved dissimilar to cells elicited by exposure to TGFβ in vitro, but instead they resembled a CD103+Klrg1+ subphenotype preferentially generated in response to lymphopenia.
National Acad Sciences