Foxp3+ regulatory T cells: differentiation, specification, subphenotypes.
Markus Feuerer, Jonathan A Hill, Diane Mathis, Christophe Benoist
Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Nature immunology 2009 Jul
Regulatory T cells (T(reg) cells) characterized by expression of the transcription factor Foxp3 play a key role in immune homeostasis. Rather than a monomorphic population strictly determined by Foxp3 as a 'master regulator', the emerging view is one of T(reg) cells as a population with many levels of complexity. Several regulatory factors partake in the control of their transcriptional 'signature', with Foxp3 being a key regulator but insufficient and unnecessary to specify all aspects of the lineage. Distinct subphenotypes of Foxp3+ T(reg) cells are found in different anatomical locations. Some subphenotypes specifically control different facets of effector T cell function and, perhaps surprisingly, share transcriptional control elements with the very cells they regulate. This review will focus on these novel aspects of T(reg) cell diversity.
Citation
Markus Feuerer, Jonathan A Hill, Diane Mathis, Christophe Benoist. Foxp3+ regulatory T cells: differentiation, specification, subphenotypes. Nature immunology. 2009 Jul;10(7): 689-95
PMID: 19536194
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