BACKGROUND The escalating rate of diabetes' has prompted researchers around the world to explore for early markers. A deficit of functional β-cell mass plays a central role in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes. The REG (Regenerating) gene, encoding a 166 amino acid REG protein was discovered in rats and humans which is released in response to β-cells damage and play a role in their regener...

OBJECTIVE In this study, we asked whether a possible quantitative or qualitative deficiency in naturally occurring Foxp3(+)CD4(+) regulatory T-cells (nT(reg)), which display potent inhibitory effects on T-cell functions in vitro and in vivo, may predispose to the development of type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We assessed the frequency and function of Foxp3(+) nT(reg) cells in pri...

The ultimate goal in transplantation medicine is the promotion of operational tolerance. Although Th cells of the Th17 type have been predominantly associated with rejection of allogeneic solid organ grafts, regulatory T (T(reg)) cells appear to foster operational tolerance. Induced T(reg) and Th17 cells have a higher lineage plasticity than has been recognized thus far. We found that when mese...

We previously identified a novel gene, reg (i.e. regenerating gene), in the screening of a rat regenerating islet-derived cDNA library, and isolated its human cDNA homologue which encodes a 166-amino acid protein (Terazono, K., Yamamoto, H., Takasawa, S., Shiga, K., Yonemura, Y., Tochino, Y., and Okamoto, H. (1988) J. BioZ. Chem. 263, 2111-2114). In the present study, we have isolated the human...

Regulatory T cells (T(reg)) migrate into allografts and induce tolerance of the graft. Immunosuppressive T(reg) are found among CD4+CD25++ T cells and specifically express the forkhead/winged transcription factor FOXP3. We hypothesized that activated T cells and T(reg) might modulate the ongoing inflammation of the cardiac allograft (CA) and that the chronic inflammatory environment might influ...

The Rockefeller University Press $30.00 J. Exp. Med. Vol. 205 No. 13 3105-3117 www.jem.org/cgi/doi/10.1084/jem.20081359 3105 The importance of natural Foxp3 + T reg cells for the maintenance of self-tolerance was recently reaffi rmed by the observation that acute depletion of T reg cells creates a state of “ immunologic anarchy ” resulting in the rapid death of a previously healthy animal ( 1, ...

Regulatory T (T(reg)) cells are the major arbiter of immune responses, mediating actions through the suppression of inflammatory and destructive immune reactions. Inappropriate T(reg) cell frequency or functionality potentiates the pathogenesis of myriad diseases with ranging magnitudes of severity. Lack of suppressive capability hinders restraint on immune responses involved in autoimmunity an...

Naturally occurring regulatory T (T reg) cells suppress T cell–driven autoimmunity and chronic inflammation. Although the origin and function of these cells has been widely studied, the specificity of their T cell receptors (TCRs)—whether for self or foreign antigens on target cells—remains a matter of debate. Prevailing opinion comes down on the side of self-antigen. But now Suffia and colleag...

Naturally occurring regulatory T cells (T reg cells) are a thymus-derived subset of T cells, which are crucial for the maintenance of peripheral tolerance by controlling potentially autoreactive T cells. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of this strictly cell contact-dependent process are still elusive. Here we show that naturally occurring T reg cells harbor high levels of cyclic ad...