Clinical and Experimental Immunology 2013, 172: 169–77. Advances in surgical techniques and the introduction of T cell-directed immunosuppressive agents has made solid organ transplantation a well-established treatment for end-stage failure of several major organs. Despite improvements in short-term outcome, long-term patient and graft survival remain suboptimal due to the toxic side effects associated with long-term use of these drugs. A major goal of transplantation research is, therefore, to promote ‘tolerance’, a
state in which the host’s immune system can be reprogrammed and then guided to accept a transplant without the need for long-term immunosuppression. In this pursuit, clinically applicable protocols aim to tip the balance in favour of regulation by either the in-vivo expansion of T cells with regulatory activity or the infusion of ex-vivo expanded cells. PD0325901 The past two decades have seen the discovery of many different types of regulatory T cells, including: CD8+ T cells
[1], CD4–CD8– double-negative T cells [2], CD8+CD28– [3], natural killer (NK) T cells [4] and γδ T cells [5], but these are less well studied compared to CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). In this review we will focus on the potential for clinical application of CD4+ Tregs, characterized by high and stable expression almost of surface interleukin (IL)-2 selleck kinase inhibitor receptor α chain (IL-2Rα, CD25hi) and the transcription factor, forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3) [6]. These CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ cells are thymus-derived, referred to as natural Tregs (nTregs), compared to their counterparts that are generated in the periphery and whose activation requires T cell receptor engagement and cytokines, the induced Tregs (iTregs) [7, 8]. In comparison to iTregs, studies support the more potent and stable role of nTregs (referred to hereafter as Tregs) in maintaining self-tolerance and preventing autoimmunity [9]. The ability to expand such cells has, therefore, become an attractive
prospect in modulating immune responses not only in the context of solid organ transplantation, but also in autoimmunity and prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The rationale is based on animal models and clinical studies that have demonstrated clearly that Treg deficiency and/or functional defects might contribute to the pathophysiology of several autoimmune diseases such as type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, as well as organ rejection (reviewed in [10]). In the context of organ transplantation, it is of paramount importance to understand the way in which alloreactive CD4+ T cells see alloantigen in order to better dictate the strategies used for the clinical application of Tregs.