Treg Cells and Epigenetic Regulation

The discovery of the epigenetic regulation of Treg cells, a cell population with fundamental immunoregulatory properties, has shed considerable insights into an understanding of the role of these cells in health and disease. Research over the past several years has shown that the interaction of Treg cells with the gut microbiota are critical not only for the development of Treg function in health but also for abnormalities of Treg function that play a critical role in the pathogenesis of human diseases such as the allergic diseases, the autoimmune disorders, and cancer. The equilibrium between phenotypic plasticity and stability of Treg cells is defined by the fine-tuned transcriptional and epigenetic events required to ensure stable expression of Foxp3 in Treg cells. In this chapter, we discuss the molecular events that control Foxp3 gene expression and address the importance of DNA methylation as an important molecular switch that regulates the genetic expression of Treg induction and the possible implications of these findings for the treatment of human diseases characterized by abnormalities of Treg cell function.