The development and function of regulatory T cells

Creg J Workman1, Andrea L Szymczak-Workman, Lauren W Collison

  • 1Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105-3678, USA.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a critical subset of T cells that mediate peripheral tolerance. There are two types of Tregs: natural Tregs, which develop in the thymus, and induced Tregs, which are derived from naive CD4(+) T cells in the periphery. Tregs utilize a variety of mechanisms to suppress the immune response. While Tregs are critical for the peripheral maintenance of potential autoreactive T cells, they can also be detrimental by preventing effective anti-tumor responses and sterilizing immunity against pathogens. In this review, we will discuss the development of natural and induced Tregs as well as the role of Tregs in a variety of disease settings and the mechanisms they utilize for suppression.

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