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Regulatory T cells require the phosphatase PTEN to restrain type 1 and follicular helper T-cell responses

ABSTRACT: The interplay between effector and regulatory T (Treg) cells is crucial for adaptive immunity, but how Treg control effector cell flexibility is elusive. We found that the phosphatase PTEN links Treg stability to the repression of TH1 and TFH (follicular helper) responses. Depletion of PTEN in Treg resulted in excessive TFH and germinal center responses and spontaneous inflammatory disease. These defects are considerably blocked by deletion of Interferon-γ, indicating coordinated control of TH1 and TFH responses. Mechanistically, PTEN maintains Treg stability and proper metabolic balance between glycolysis and mitochondrial fitness. Moreover, PTEN deficiency markedly upregulates mTORC2-Akt activity, and loss of this activity restores PTEN-deficient Treg function. Our studies establish a PTEN-mTORC2 axis that actively maintains Treg stability and coordinates Treg-mediated control of effector cell flexibility.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE63625 | GEO | 2015/01/05

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA268493

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway integrates diverse environmental inputs, including immune signals and metabolic cues, to direct T cell fate decisions1. Activation of mTOR, comprised of mTORC1 and mTORC2 complexes, delivers an obligatory signal for proper activation and differentiation of effector CD4+ T cells2,3, whereas in the regulatory T cell (Treg) compartment, the Akt-mTOR axis is widely acknowledged as a crucial negative regulator of Treg de novo differentiation4-8 and population expansion9. However, whether mTOR signaling affects the homeostasis and function of Tregs remains largely unexplored. Here we show that mTORC1 signaling is a pivotal positive determinant of Treg function. Tregs have elevated steady-state mTORC1 activity compared to naïve T cells. Signals via T cell receptor (TCR) and IL-2 provide major inputs for mTORC1 activation, which in turn programs suppressive function of Tregs. Disruption of mTORC1 through Treg-specific deletion of the essential component Raptor leads to a profound loss of Treg suppressive activity in vivo and development of a fatal early-onset inflammatory disorder. Mechanistically, Raptor/mTORC1 signaling in Tregs promotes cholesterol/lipid metabolism, with the mevalonate pathway particularly important for coordinating Treg proliferation and upregulation of suppressive molecules CTLA-4 and ICOS to establish Treg functional competency. In contrast, mTORC1 does not directly impact the expression of Foxp3 or anti- and pro-inflammatory cytokines in Tregs, suggesting a non-conventional mechanism for Treg functional regulation. Lastly, we provide evidence that mTORC1 maintains Treg function partly through inhibiting the mTORC2 pathway. Our results demonstrate that mTORC1 acts as a fundamental ‘rheostat’ in Tregs to link immunological signals from TCR and IL-2 to lipogenic pathways and functional fitness, and highlight a central role of metabolic programming of Treg suppressive activity in immune homeostasis and tolerance. We used microarrays to explore the gene expression profiles differentially expressed in regulatory T-cells from wild-type and CD4(cre) x Raptor(fl/fl) mice

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Regulatory T cells require the phosphatase PTEN to restrain type 1 and follicular helper T-cell responses

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