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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Generation of Induced Regulatory T Cells from Primary Human Naïve and Memory T Cells
Published on: April 16, 2012
Effector T cells boost regulatory T cell expansion by IL-2, TNF, OX40, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells depending on
Audrey Baeyens1, David Saadoun1, Fabienne Billiard1
1Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Université Paris 6), Unité Mixte de Recherche 7211 and Unité Mixte de Recherche de Santé CR7, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, 75013 Paris, France;INSERM, Unité 959 and Unité 1135, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, 75013 Paris, France; andCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7211 and Equipe de Recherche Labellisée 8255, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, 75013 Paris, France.
Abstract:
CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells play a major role in peripheral tolerance. Multiple environmental factors and cell types affect their biology. Among them, activated effector CD4(+) T cells can boost Treg cell expansion through TNF or IL-2. In this study, we further characterized this effector T (Teff) cell-dependent Treg cell boost in vivo in mice. This phenomenon was observed when both Treg and Teff cells were activated by their cognate Ag, with the latter being the same or different. Also, when Treg cells highly proliferated on their own, there was no additional Treg cell boost by Teff cells. In a condition of low inflammation, the Teff cell-mediated Treg cell boost involved TNF, OX40L, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells, whereas in a condition of high inflammation, it involved TNF and IL-2. Thus, this feedback mechanism in which Treg cells are highly activated by their Teff cell counterparts depends on the immune context for its effectiveness and mechanism. This Teff cell-dependent Treg cell boost may be crucial to limit inflammatory and autoimmune responses.
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