Hypomethylation at the regulatory T cell-specific demethylated region in CD25hi T cells is decoupled from FOXP3 expression at the inflamed site in childhood arthritis.

ABSTRACT: The maintenance of FOXP3 expression in CD25(hi) regulatory T cells (Tregs) is crucial to the control of inflammation and essential for successful Treg transfer therapies. Coexpression of CD25 and FOXP3 in combination with a hypomethylated region within the FOXP3 gene, called the Treg-specific demethylated region (TSDR), is considered the hallmark of stable Tregs. The TSDR is an epigenetic motif that is important for stable FOXP3 expression and is used as a biomarker to measure Treg lineage commitment. In this study, we report that, unlike in peripheral blood, CD4(+) T cell expression of CD25 and FOXP3 is frequently dissociated at the inflamed site in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, which led us to question the stability of human Tregs in chronic inflammatory environments. We d

SUBMITTER: Bending D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4157061 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature