Synovial Regulatory T Cells Occupy a Discrete TCR Niche in Human Arthritis and Require Local Signals To Stabilize FOXP3 Protein Expression.

ABSTRACT: Although there is great interest in harnessing the immunosuppressive potential of FOXP3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) for treating autoimmunity, a sizeable knowledge gap exists regarding Treg fate in human disease. In juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients, we have previously reported that atypical CD25(+)FOXP3(-) Treg-like cells uniquely populate the inflamed site. Intriguingly, their proportions relative to CD25(+)FOXP3(+) Tregs associate with arthritis course, suggesting a role in disease. The ontogeny of these FOXP3(-) Treg-like cells is, however, unknown. In this study, we interrogated clonal relationships between CD4(+) T cell subsets in JIA, using high-throughput TCR repertoire analysis. We reveal that FOXP3(+) Tregs possess highly exclusive TCRβ usage from conventional T cell

SUBMITTER: Bending D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4671090 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature