Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Mouse Naïve CD4+ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets
07:12

Mouse Naïve CD4+ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets

Published on: April 16, 2015

Foxp3 and natural regulatory T cells: key to a cell lineage?

Fred Ramsdell1

  • 1Celltech R&D, Inc., 1631 220th St. SE, Bothell, Washington 98021, USA. fred.ramsdell@celltechgroup.com

Immunity
|August 23, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Regulatory T (TR) cells, once called suppressor T cells, are a key focus in immunology. Research on a mutant mouse strain identified the Foxp3 gene

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • The study of suppressor T cells, now known as regulatory T (TR) cells, was largely abandoned after initial research in the 1970s.
  • Recent publications have revived interest in the critical role of TR cells in immune system regulation.
  • A mutant mouse strain, initially created for radiation studies, provides a model for understanding TR cell development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genetic basis of a defect in a long-established mutant mouse strain.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the development and function of regulatory T (TR) cells.
  • To reconnect historical research on suppressor T cells with current understanding of TR cell biology.

Main Methods:

  • Characterization of a mutant mouse strain.
  • Genetic analysis to identify the causative gene for the observed defect.
  • Functional studies to assess the role of the identified gene in TR cell generation.

Main Results:

  • The transcription factor Foxp3 was identified as the gene responsible for the defect in scurfy mice.
  • Demonstration that Foxp3 is critical for the generation of regulatory T (TR) cells.
  • This finding provides molecular insight into the essential lineage of TR cells.

Conclusions:

  • The identification of Foxp3 as the key gene in scurfy mice offers a molecular explanation for TR cell defects.
  • This research revitalizes the study of TR cells by linking a historical model to a critical developmental gene.
  • Understanding Foxp3's role is crucial for dissecting the biology of this essential immune cell type.

More Related Videos

In Vitro Differentiation of Human CD4+FOXP3+ Induced Regulatory T Cells (iTregs) from Naïve CD4+ T Cells Using a TGF-β-containing Protocol08:20

In Vitro Differentiation of Human CD4+FOXP3+ Induced Regulatory T Cells (iTregs) from Naïve CD4+ T Cells Using a TGF-β-containing Protocol

Published on: December 30, 2016

Determination of Regulatory T Cell Subsets in Murine Thymus, Pancreatic Draining Lymph Node and Spleen Using Flow Cytometry08:06

Determination of Regulatory T Cell Subsets in Murine Thymus, Pancreatic Draining Lymph Node and Spleen Using Flow Cytometry

Published on: February 27, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Master Transcription Regulators02:23

Master Transcription Regulators

Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a  complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...
Lineage Commitment01:21

Lineage Commitment

Commitment is the  process whereby stem cells:
Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming01:29

Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming

Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for this...
Forced Transdifferentiation01:28

Forced Transdifferentiation

Transdifferentiation, also known as lineage reprogramming, was first discovered by Selman and Kafatos in 1974 in silkmoths. They observed that the moths’ cuticle-producing cells transformed into salt-producing cells. Many such cases of natural transdifferentiation occur in organisms. In humans, pancreatic alpha cells can become beta cells. In newts, the loss of the eye’s lens causes the pigmented epithelial cells to transdifferentiate into the lens cells.
Artificial transdifferentiation occurs...
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal01:12

Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal

Notch signaling was first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, where it is involved in cell lineage differentiation. Notch signaling regulates the maintenance and differentiation of intestinal stem cells or ISCs by controlling the expression of atonal homolog 1 or Atoh1. Atoh1 directs cells to differentiate into secretory cells.
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
T Cell Types and Functions01:24

T Cell Types and Functions

When T cells with CD4 markers are activated, they give rise to two types of effector cells: helper T cells and regulatory T cells. Meanwhile, T cells with CD8 markers differentiate into effector cytotoxic T cells. The differentiation of CD4 T cells into helper T cell subsets, such as Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, is dependent on the antigen type, antigen-presenting cell, and regulatory cytokines.
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...