Lymph node trafficking of regulatory T cells is prerequisite for immune suppression

MT Huang, BR Lin, WL Liu, CW Lu… - Journal of Leucocyte …, 2016 - academic.oup.com
MT Huang, BR Lin, WL Liu, CW Lu, BL Chiang
Journal of Leucocyte Biology, 2016academic.oup.com
Regulatory T cells have a crucial role in health and disease because of their immune
regulation function. However, the anatomic sites where regulatory T cells exert optimal
immune regulation are open to debate. In our current study with the use of a shear-stress
flow assay, we found that regulatory T cells exhibited significantly decreased adhesion to
either activated endothelial monolayer or intercellular adhesion molecule 1 or E-selectin-
coated surfaces compared with activated effector T cells. The less transmigration capacity of …
Abstract
Regulatory T cells have a crucial role in health and disease because of their immune regulation function. However, the anatomic sites where regulatory T cells exert optimal immune regulation are open to debate. In our current study with the use of a shear-stress flow assay, we found that regulatory T cells exhibited significantly decreased adhesion to either activated endothelial monolayer or intercellular adhesion molecule 1 or E-selectin-coated surfaces compared with activated effector T cells. The less transmigration capacity of the regulatory T cells prompted our speculation of preferential lymph node localization for the regulatory T cells that endowed these cells with immune regulation function in the most efficient manner. To test this hypothesis, the role of lymph node localization in regulatory T cell–mediated immune suppression was evaluated with a footpad inflammation model. We found that adoptively transferred regulatory T cells inhibited the development of footpad inflammation. In addition, although blockage of CCR7 or CD62L had no effect on the immune suppressive function of the regulatory T cells per se, pretreatment of the regulatory T cells with either CCR7 or CD62L blocking antibodies prevented their recruitment into draining lymph nodes and concomitantly abrogated the immune suppressive effects of adoptively transferred regulatory T cells during footpad inflammation. Our data demonstrate the crucial role of lymph node localization in regulatory T cell–mediated immune suppression and suggest a probable hierarchy in the anatomic sites for optimal immune regulation. Elucidating the relationships between the transmigration characteristics of the regulatory T cells and their immune regulation function will provide insightful information for regulatory T cell–based cell therapy.
Oxford University Press