Memory of Inflammation in Regulatory T Cells.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

Eukaryotic cells can "remember" transient encounters with a wide range of stimuli, inducing lasting states of altered responsiveness. Regulatory T (Treg) cells are a specialized lineage of suppressive CD4 T cells that act as critical negative regulators of inflammation in various biological contexts. Treg cells exposed to inflammatory conditions acquire strongly enhanced suppressive function. Using inducible genetic tracing, we analyzed the long-term stability of activation-induced transcriptional, epigenomic, and functional changes in Treg cells. We found that the inflammation-experienced Treg cell population reversed many activation-induced changes and lost its enhanced suppressive function over time. The "memory-less" potentiation of Treg suppressor function may help avoid a state of generalized immunosuppression that could otherwise result from repeated activation.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • van der Veeken, J; Gonzalez, AJ; Cho, H; Arvey, A; Hemmers, S; Leslie, CS; Rudensky, AY

Published Date

  • August 11, 2016

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 166 / 4

Start / End Page

  • 977 - 990

PubMed ID

  • 27499023

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC4996371

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1097-4172

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.cell.2016.07.006

Language

  • eng

Conference Location

  • United States