CD4+CD25+ T-cell development is regulated by at least 2 distinct mechanisms

Abstract

AbstractIt has recently been shown that CD4+CD25+ T cells are immunoregulatory T cells that prevent CD4+ T-cell–mediated organ-specific autoimmune diseases. In this study, the regulatory mechanism of CD4+CD25+ T-cell development were investigated using T-cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mice. It was found that CD4+CD25+ T cells preferentially expressed the endogenous TCRα chain in DO10+ TCR transgenic mice compared with CD4+CD25− T cells. Moreover, it was found that CD4+CD25+ thymocytes were severely decreased in DO10+ TCR-α−/− mice in positively selecting and negatively selecting backgrounds, whereas CD4+CD25− thymocytes efficiently developed by transgenic TCR in DO10+ TCR-α−/− mice in positively selecting backgrounds, indicating that the appropriate affinity of TCR to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) for the development of CD4+CD25+ thymocytes is different from that of CD4+CD25− thymocytes and that a certain TCR–MHC affinity is required for the development of CD4+CD25+ thymocytes. Finally, it was found that, in contrast to thymus, CD4+CD25+ T cells were readily detected in spleen of DO10+TCR-α−/− mice in positively selecting backgrounds and that splenic CD4+CD25+ T cells, but not CD4+CD25+ thymocytes, were significantly decreased in B-cell–deficient mice, suggesting that B cells may control the peripheral pool of CD4+CD25+ T cells. Together, these results indicate that the development of CD4+CD25+ T cells in thymus and the homeostasis of CD4+CD25+ T cells in periphery are regulated by distinct mechanisms.