Cutting edge: CTLA-4 on effector T cells inhibits in trans

CTLA-4 is thought to inhibit effector T cells both intrinsically, by competing with CD28 for B7 ligands, and extrinsically, through the action of regulatory T cells (Tregs). We studied in vivo responses of normal and CTLA-4-deficient Ag-specific murine effector CD4(+) T cells. We directly demonstrate that effector T cell-restricted CTLA-4 inhibits T cell responses in a cell-extrinsic manner. Cotransfer experiments show that CTLA-4 on normal effector CD4(+) T cells completely abrogates the dramatically increased expansion normally experienced by their CTLA-4-deficient counterparts. Neither the wild-type nor the CTLA-4-deficient T cells express the Treg transcription factor Foxp3 when transferred alone or together. Thus, cell-extrinsic inhibition of T cell responses by CTLA-4 is not limited to Tregs but is also a function of effector T cells.