Circulating Follicular Regulatory T Cells in Autoimmune Diseases and Their Waning in Multiple Sclerosis
Tessa Dhaeze1, Niels Hellings2
1The Research Center of the University of Montreal Hospital Center (CRCHUM), 900 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal H2X 0A9, Québec, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, 900 Rue Saint- Denis, Montréal H2X 0A9, Québec, Canada; Hasselt University, Biomedical Research Institute and Transnationale Universiteit Limburg, School of Life Sciences, Agoralaan Building C, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
Abstract:
Follicular regulatory T cells (TFRs) are a subset of regulatory T cells that reside in the secondary lymphoid organs and participate in controlling the germinal center (GC) response. The GC response forms the basis of adaptive immunity to foreign protein antigens. In autoimmune diseases, hyperreactivity to self-antigens occurs that may result from an aberrant control of the GC response. TFR dysfunctionality may be one of the factors contributing to this breakdown of self-tolerance. In this review, we discuss how the investigation of circulating TFRs can help us understand their relative contribution to autoimmune-mediated disease processes. Multiple sclerosis is taken as a classical example of autoimmune disease.
