Abstract
Background
CD8+ regulatory T cells (Treg) have been considered to be involved in a model of ocular-induced tolerance, known as anterior chamber-associated immune deviation (ACAID). The phenotype and characteristics of CD8+Treg in ACAID remain only poorly understood. Recent studies have reported that the CD94-Qa-1 system is implicated in the induction of ACAID CD8+Treg, but the functions and characteristics of CD8+CD94+T cells remain unclear.
Results
Both mRNA and protein of CD94 and NKG2A were markedly up-regulated on splenic CD8+T cells of ACAID mice compared with controls. Flow cytometric analysis showed that very few CD8+CD94+T cells express granzyme B, perforin and Foxp3. CD8+CD94+T cells, but not CD8+CD94-T cells, magnetically isolated from the spleens of ACAID mice, produced large amounts of TGF-beta1 and exhibited suppressive activity in vitro. Neutralization of TGF-beta1 caused reversal of suppression mediated by CD8+CD94+T cells.
Conclusion
CD8+CD94+T cells from ACAID mice exhibited suppressive activity in association with enhanced expression of TGF-beta1, suggesting that CD8+Treg are mainly distributed in CD94+T cell subpopulations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 53 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | BMC Immunology |
| Volume | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |
Keywords
- human natural-killer
- human t-lymphocytes
- i molecule qa-1(b)
- tgf-beta
- inhibitory receptors
- cytolytic activity
- interferon-gamma
- foxp3 expression
- soluble-antigen
- ifn-gamma