Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation, wheezing, coughing, and breathlessness due to dysfunctional regulatory T cells (Treg) that are normally regulated by the Foxp3 transcription factor. In this study, we investigated the role of ambient air pollution exposure in the development of asthma and increased severity of symptoms via epigenetic mechanisms. We found that identical twins had d...

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are critical for the maintenance of immune homeostasis and self-tolerance and can be therapeutically used for prevention of unwanted immune responses such as allotransplant rejection. Tregs are characterized by expression of the transcription factor Foxp3, and recent work suggests that epigenetic imprinting of Foxp3 and other Treg-specific epigenetic signatures genes ...

CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells are able to inhibit proliferation and cytokine production in effector T-cells and play a major role in immune responses and prevention of autoimmune disease. A master regulator of Treg cell development and function is the transcription factor Foxp3. Several cytokines, such as TGF-β and IL-2, are known to regulate Foxp3 expression as well as methyl...

Differentiation of murine T-helper (Th) 17 cells is induced by antigenic stimulation and the sequential action of the cytokines IL-6, IL-21, and IL-23, along with TGFbeta. Current dogma proposes that IL-6 induces IL-21, which, in a STAT3-dependent manner, amplifies its own transcription, contributes to IL-17 production, and, moreover, promotes the expression of the IL-23 receptor. This, in turn...

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation by high-affinity ligands mediates immunosuppression in association with increased regulatory T cells (Tregs), making this transcription factor an attractive therapeutic target for autoimmune diseases. We recently discovered 10-chloro-7H-benzimidazo[2,1-a]benzo[de]iso-quinolin-7-one (10-Cl-BBQ), a nanomolar affinity AhR ligand with immunosuppressive act...

Copolymer-I (COP-I) has unique immune regulatory properties and is a treatment option for multiple sclerosis (MS). This study revealed that COP-I induced the conversion of peripheral CD4+CD25- to CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells through the activation of transcription factor Foxp3. COP-I treatment led to a significant increase in Foxp3 expression in CD4+ T cells in MS patients whose Foxp3 expressio...

The immune system has the ability to suppress undesirable responses, such as those against commensal bacteria, food, and paternal antigens in placenta pregnancy. The lineage-specific transcription factor Foxp3 orchestrates the development and function of regulatory T cells underlying this immunological tolerance. Despite the crucial role of Foxp3 in supporting immune homeostasis, little is know...

Human regulatory T (Treg) cells expressing the transcription factor forkhead box P3 (FoxP3) are indispensable for self-tolerance and immune homeostasis. Abnormal Treg cell counts and impaired function have been implicated in the development of various autoimmune diseases. The Treg cell counts in the peripheral blood of subjects with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) vary, probably due to heterogeneity ...

In naı̈ve T cells transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-b) induces Foxp3, a transcription factor essential for programming and developing T regulatory cells (Treg cells). This finding reveals a physiological factor which can turn on the Foxp3 gene and establishes an experimental approach to induce antigen-specific Treg cells as a potential therapy for human diseases. While this role for TGF-b is ...

CD4(+) T cells polarize into effector Th subsets characterized by signature transcription factors and cytokines. Although T-bet drives Th1 responses and represses the alternative Th2, Th17, and Foxp3(+) regulatory T cell fates, the role of the T-bet-related transcription factor eomesodermin (Eomes) in CD4(+) T cells is less well understood. In this study, we analyze the expression and effects o...