The Phenotypic Markers of CD4+CD25+ T Regulatory
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IBIMA Publishing Research in Immunology: An International Journal http://www.ibimapublishing.com/journals/IMMU/immu.html Vol. 2013 (2013), Article ID 119348, 14 pages DOI: 10.5171/2013. 119348 Research Article The Phenotypic Markers of CD4 +CD25 + T Regulatory Lymphocytes Jan Lastovicka 2nd Medical School and Faculty Hospital Motol, Czech republic [email protected] Received date: 7 August 2013, Accepted date: 12 September 2013 , Published date: 14 November 2013 Academic Editor: Jolanta Myśliwska Copyright © 2013. Jan Lastovicka. Distributed under Creative Commons CC-BY 3. Abstract The article gives the overview of both surface and intracellular markers present on T regulatory lymphocytes. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a principal role in immune reactions including autoimmunity, transplantation tolerance, anti-infectious immunity and cancer. Today the most widely accepted phenotype for Tregs is the coexpression of CD4, CD25 and FoxP3. But FoxP3 is an intracellular molecule, detection of which requires fixation and permeabilization of cells and the fixed cells cannot be used in studies of Treg function. Moreover intracellular FoxP3 staining is hardly usable on a daily clinical routine basis. Therefore several attempts have been made to characterize Tregs according their surface molecules. The particular molecules like CD25, CD127, CD26, CD39, CD45RA , CD49d, CD101, CD194 are described and their significance for distinguishing T regulatory lymphocytes from other T cells is discussed. Recently described surface molecule CD26 is another negative marker which seems to improve our possibilities in distinguishing this important population from effector T cells. Keywords : T regulatory lymphocytes, Treg, surface markers, FoxP3 Introduction functional deficit of Treg cells is linked to many autoimmune diseases such as Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a principal rheumatoid arthritis [3], multiple sclerosis or role in immune reactions including type 1 diabetes. These Treg features result autoimmunity, transplantation tolerance, from their potent capacity to reduce the anti-infectious immunity and cancer. These activation and expansion of conventional T cells represent about <5% of the peripheral cells [4] by suppressing their biological CD4+ T cell population and play a crucial role activities like proliferation and blocking the in the maintenance of immune homeostasis production of proinflammatory cytokines against self- antigens [1, 2]. Numerical or TNF alpha and IFNgamma, among others [5]. ______________ Cite this Article as : Jan Lastovicka (2013), "The Phenotypic Markers of CD4 +CD25 + T Regulatory Lymphocytes", Research in Immunology: An International Journal, Vol. 2013 (2013), Article ID 119348, DOI: 10.5171/2013. 119348. Research in Immunology: An International Journal 2 _____________________________________________________________________________ The two main groups of Tregs represent human nTregs express the serine protease natural Tregs (nTregs) and induced or granzyme A and kill T CONV in a perforin- adaptive Tregs (iTregs) [6]. nTregs originate dependent manner without CD95-CD95L in thymus and express high levels of the IL-2 interaction. receptor α-chain (CD25) [7] and the forkhead-winged helix transcription factor Nevertheless, the main mechanism of FoxP3, which is inevitable for their suppression of Tregs consist in influencing development and function [8, 9]. FoxP3 + the activation status of APCs. In this regard iTregs arise in periphery from conventional the key molecule is CTLA4, which naive CD4 +FoxP3 − T cells. Under the competitively inhibits the binding of CD28 to influence of suppressive cytokines and its ligands CD80 and CD86 and thus inhibits antigen-specific activation they develop into co-stimulation of effector T cells. CTLA4 FoxP3 + Tregs.[6]. together with the adhesion molecule LFA-1 also downregulates the expression of CD80 FoxP3 + Tregs can be divided into two and CD86 on APCs [15, 16]. Capturing of subpopulations based on the expression of CD80/86 ligands by CTLA4 is a process called ICOS (inducible T cell co- trans-endocytosis [17]. Tregs do not only stimulator) [10]. These subpopulations are reduce antigen presenting activity of APCs, both anergic and suppressive, but exert but also support an immunosuppressive different molecular mechanisms for cytokine milieu by reducing IL-6 while suppression. While ICOS −FoxP3 + Tregs increasing IL-10 production by DCs [18]. mediate their suppressive activity via TGF- β, ICOS +FoxP3 + Tregs moreover secrete IL- Tregs can produce high amounts of 10. membrane-bound and soluble TGF-ß, and blocking TGF-ß partially abrogated Today the most widely accepted phenotype suppression of T cell proliferation in vitro for Tregs is the coexpression of CD4, CD25 using murine or human T cells [19, 20] by (α-chain of the IL-2 receptor), and of FoxP3 inhibiting the TCR/CD3 pathway [21]. An [10]. important role in Treg-mediated suppression plays cytokine IL-10, which exerts Mechanisms of Treg Function immunosuppressive effects on various cell types [22]. Another way of suppression offers Tregs can suppress a whole range of immune IL-35, the cytokine involved in Treg- cells including B cells, NK cells, NKT cells, mediated suppression, which was shown to + + CD4 or CD8 T cells, and both monocytes and directly inhibit T CONV proliferation [23]. dendritic cells. The most important and extensively studied is the suppression of Hydrolysis of extracellular ATP to ADP or + - CD4 CD25 conventional T cells (T CONV ). Main AMP by the ectoenzyme CD39, expressed by function of Tregs is to suppress the activation all murine Tregs and by about 50% of human of naive T CONV , but they can also inhibit Tregs, represents another Treg-mediated activated effector T cells and memory CD4 + anti-inflammatory mechanism [24]. [11] and CD8 + T cells [12]. Tregs can suppress their proliferation directly [13] Treg cells express high levels of CD25 and without the presence of antigen presenting consecutively deprive the environment of IL- cells (APCs). There are evidences for either 2, which can also affect the survival of contact-dependent suppression or effector T cells. suppression via immunosuppressive cytokines or other factors. One efficient way Human and Mouse Differences to supppress immune responses is direct killing of CD4 + effector cells, which was To describe all differences between human described by Grossman et al.,[14]. They have and mouse systems is not the topic of this shown that upon CD3/CD46 activation rewiev. Shortly speaking, in mice most of ______________ Jan Lastovicka (2013), Research in Immunology: An International Journal, DOI: 10.5171/2013. 119348 3 Research in Immunology: An International Journal _____________________________________________________________________________ CD4 +CD25 + T cells are potently suppressive, conventional activated T cells [35]. Later, whereas analogous population in humans, epigenetic differences in DNA methylation albeit larger, contains mainly activated within FoxP3 have been detected between effector cells and only a small percent Treg cells and non-regulatory T cells [36], comprising CD25 high cells represents Tregs which offered a promising option for the [10, 25]. Particular differences are described exact quantification of natural Treg cells. if needed. Tatura et al., [37] described the application of QAMA assay (quantitative analysis of Intracellular Markers methylated alleles), that is based on epigenetic differences within the FoxP3 Treg- FoxP3 specific demethylated region (TSDR) between Treg cells and all other major blood The transcription factor FoxP3 is regarded to cells. be a lineage molecule for Tregs. It is neccessary for their thymic development, HELIOS function and phenotype and is responsible for controlling the expression of a number of Helios is an Ikaros family transcription factor genes including suppresive cytokines and which was shown to play an important role Treg surface molecules [8, 10, 26, in Treg function and which was at first 27]. However, FoxP3+ T cells are believed to differentiate induced Treg cells phenotypically and functionally from natural Treg cells [38, 39]. The heterogeneous and involve both suppressive aforesaid studies demonstrated the existence and nonsuppressive T cells. Moreover, FoxP3 of two subsets of FoxP3 + Tregs which express is an intracellular molecule, detection Helios and which can discern nTregs of which requires fixation and (FoxP3 +Helios +) from peripherally-induced permeabilization of cells and the fixed cells (FoxP3 +Helios −) iTregs [39]. But recently cannot be used in studies of Treg function. Himmel et al., found, that a lack Intracellular FoxP3 staining is hardly usable of Helios expression does not exclusively on a daily clinical routine basis in large series identify human iTregs, and, their data of samples (several steps of incubation, provide the first evidence for the coexistence washing, long incubation times, use of of Helios + and Helios − nTregs in human isotype control). peripheral blood [40]. However, it has been reported very recently that Neuropilin 1 FoxP3 has been broadly used for (Nrp1, CD304), highly expressed by most of characterization of thymus nTregs, may be used to distinguish these two derived naturally occurring Tregs, although it subsets [41, 42]. is well known that is also expressed in peripheral induced Treg [28] and even in RUNX human activated CD4 +CD25 − T effector cells without suppressive activity [29-33]. The role of Runt-related transcription