1. Human CD8+CD25+ thymocytes share phenotypic and functional features with CD4+CD25+ regulatory thymocytes
- Author
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Veronica Santarlasci, Enrico Maggi, Roberto Manetti, Roberta Angeli, Francesco Annunziato, Vittorio Vanini, Francesco Liotta, Elena Lazzeri, Lorenzo Cosmi, Sergio Romagnani, Paola Romagnani, Michela Francalanci, and Benedetta Mazzinghi
- Subjects
CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ,Interleukin 2 ,Immunology ,chemical and pharmacologic phenomena ,Thymus Gland ,CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ,Biology ,CCR8 ,Lymphocyte Activation ,Biochemistry ,Immunophenotyping ,Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ,Antigens, CD ,T-Lymphocyte Subsets ,Transforming Growth Factor beta ,medicine ,Humans ,Cytotoxic T cell ,CTLA-4 Antigen ,IL-2 receptor ,Membrane Proteins ,FOXP3 ,Receptors, Interleukin-2 ,hemic and immune systems ,Cell Biology ,Hematology ,Flow Cytometry ,Antigens, Differentiation ,Immunohistochemistry ,Cell biology ,Thymocyte ,Cancer research ,Cytokines ,Interleukin-2 ,Tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 ,CD8 ,medicine.drug - Abstract
CD8+CD25+ cells, which expressed high levels of Foxp3, glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor (GITR), CCR8, tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2), and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) mRNAs, were identified in the fibrous septa and medullary areas of human thymus. Activated CD8+CD25+ thymocytes did not produce cytokines, but most of them expressed surface CTLA-4 and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1). Like CD4+CD25+, CD8+CD25+ thymocytes suppressed the proliferation of autologous CD25-T cells via a contact-dependent mechanism. The suppressive activity of CD8+CD25+ thymocytes was abrogated by a mixture of anti-CTLA-4 and anti-TGF-β1 antibodies and it was mediated by their ability to inhibit the expression of the interleukin 2 receptor α chain on target T cells. These results demonstrate the existence of a subset of human CD8+CD25+ thymocytes sharing phenotype, functional features, and mechanism of action with CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells. (Blood. 2003;102:4107-4114)
- Published
- 2003