Cell-surface IL-7 receptor expression facilitates the purification of FOXP3(+) regulatory T cells.

Journal article

FOXP3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells have crucial roles in maintaining self-tolerance and modulating adaptive immune responses. Functional studies of Treg cells have been hampered by a lack of suitable cell-surface markers that specifically enable their purification without contamination by non-regulatory CD25+ effector T cells. Two recent studies have demonstrated that downregulation of the interleukin-7 receptor (CD127) distinguishes Treg cells from activated T cells, facilitating both Treg-cell purification and their functional characterization in human diseases. CD127 uniquely enables the purification of FOXP3+ Treg cells and, potentially, also "adaptive" regulatory T-cell subsets from the CD4+CD25- T-cell population.

Authors: Banham, A

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Trends in immunology
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 12
• Pages: 541-544
• Publication date: 2006-12-01
• DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2006.10.002
• EISSN: 1471-4981
• ISSN: 1471-4906
• Language: English
• Keywords: Forkhead Transcription Factors; Humans; Down-Regulation; T-Lymphocytes; Cell Separation; Models, Immunological; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Mice; Animals; Mice, Transgenic; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; Interleukin-7 Receptor alpha Subunit