Ex vivo induction of regulatory T cells from conventional CD4⁺ T cells is sensitive to substrate rigidity.

ABSTRACT: The immune system maintains a balance between protection and tolerance. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) function as a vital tolerance mechanism in the immune system to suppress effector immune cells. Additionally, Tregs can be utilized as a form of immunotherapy for autoimmune disorders. As T cells have previously been shown to exhibit sensitivity to the rigidity of an activating substrate upon activation via IL-2 secretion, we herein explore the previously unknown effect of substrate rigidity on the induction of Tregs from conventional naïve mouse CD4⁺ T cells. Substrates with modulatable rigidities ranging from a hundred kilopascals to a few megapascals were fabricated via poly(dimethylsiloxane). We found that there was a significant increase in Treg induction at lower substrate ri

SUBMITTER: Nataraj NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6240380 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature