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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Mouse Naïve CD4+ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets
Published on: April 16, 2015
The suppressive effect of CD25+Treg cells on Th1 differentiation requires cell-cell contact partially via TGF-β
Erxia Shen1, Kai Zhao, Changyou Wu
1Department of Immunology, State Ministry of Education-Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases Control Research, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yatsen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, Peoples Republic of China.
CD25+Treg cells (CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells) play a central role in the maintenance of peripheral self-tolerance and immune homoeostasis. A previous study showed that CD25+Treg cells suppressed the differentiation and function of Th1 cells in vivo and in vitro. However, the mechanism of suppressing Th1 cell differentiation mediated by CD25+Treg cells remains unclear. In the present study, we found that CD25+Treg cells could reduce the production of IFN (interferon)-γ and the percentage of IFN-γ-, IL-2 and TNF-α-producing cells by CD25-T cells under Th1 cell culture conditions and suppress the differentiation of CD25-T cells into Th1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, these CD25+Treg cells could inhibit the activation of CD25-T cells by down-regulating the expression of activation markers CD69 and CD25 and suppress the division and proliferation of CD25-T cells using CFSE (carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester)-labelling and BrdU (5-bromo-20-deoxyuridine) incorporation, respectively. Further studies showed that the suppressive effects of CD25+Treg cells on Th1 cell differentiation required cell-cell contact and was partially restored by the addition of anti-TGF-β mAb (monoclonal antibody) but not anti-IL-10 mAb, indicating that the suppression mechanism of CD25+Treg cells was cell-cell contact dependent and partially via TGF-β. This finding strongly indicates a therapeutic role for CD25+Treg cells in Th1-mediated diseases.
CD25+Treg cells (CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells) play a central role in the maintenance of peripheral self-tolerance and immune homoeostasis. A previous study showed that CD25+Treg cells suppressed the differentiation and function of Th1 cells in vivo and in vitro. However, the mechanism of suppressing Th1 cell differentiation mediated by CD25+Treg cells remains unclear. In the present study, we found that CD25+Treg cells could reduce the production of IFN (interferon)-γ and the percentage of IFN-γ-, IL-2 and TNF-α-producing cells by CD25-T cells under Th1 cell culture conditions and suppress the differentiation of CD25-T cells into Th1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, these CD25+Treg cells could inhibit the activation of CD25-T cells by down-regulating the expression of activation markers CD69 and CD25 and suppress the division and proliferation of CD25-T cells using CFSE (carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester)-labelling and BrdU (5-bromo-20-deoxyuridine) incorporation, respectively. Further studies showed that the suppressive effects of CD25+Treg cells on Th1 cell differentiation required cell-cell contact and was partially restored by the addition of anti-TGF-β mAb (monoclonal antibody) but not anti-IL-10 mAb, indicating that the suppression mechanism of CD25+Treg cells was cell-cell contact dependent and partially via TGF-β. This finding strongly indicates a therapeutic role for CD25+Treg cells in Th1-mediated diseases.
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