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1: Nat Immunol. 2007 Feb;8(2):191-7. Epub 2006 Nov 30.
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Comment in:
Regulatory T cells prevent catastrophic autoimmunity throughout the lifespan of mice.

Kim JM, Rasmussen JP, Rudensky AY.

Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.

Mice lacking the transcription factor Foxp3 (Foxp3(-)) lack regulatory T (T(reg)) cells and develop fatal autoimmune pathology. In Foxp3(-) mice, many activated effector T cells express self-reactive T cell receptors that are expressed in T(reg) cells in wild-type mice. Thus, in wild-type mice, most self-reactive thymocytes escaping negative selection are diverted into the T(reg) lineage, and whether T(reg) cells are critical in self-tolerance in wild-type mice remains unknown. Here, acute in vivo ablation of T(reg) cells demonstrated a vital function for T(reg) cells in neonatal and adult mice. We suggest that self-reactive T cells are continuously suppressed by T(reg) cells and that when suppression is relieved, self-reactive T cells become activated and facilitate accelerated maturation of dendritic cells.

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PMID: 17136045 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]