Publication Date:
2012-09-07
Description:
Regulatory T (Treg) cells have broad suppressive activity on host immunity, but the fate and function of suppressed responder T cells remains largely unknown. In the present study, we report that human Treg cells can induce senescence in responder naive and effector T cells in vitro and in vivo. Senescent responder T cells induced by human Treg cells changed their phenotypes and cytokine profiles and had potent suppressive function. Furthermore, Treg-mediated molecular control of senescence in responder T cells was associated with selective modulation of p38 and ERK1/2 signaling and cell-cycle–regulatory molecules p16, p21, and p53. We further revealed that human Treg-induced senescence and suppressor function could be blocked by TLR8 signaling and/or by specific ERK1/2 and p38 inhibition in vitro and in vivo in animal models. The results of the present study identify a novel mechanism of human Treg cell suppression that induces targeted responder T-cell senescence and provide new insights relevant for the development of strategies capable of preventing and/or reversing Treg-induced immune suppression.
Keywords:
Immunobiology
Print ISSN:
0006-4971
Electronic ISSN:
1528-0020
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
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