Foxp3 regulatory T cells (Tregs) maintain self-tolerance and adoptive therapy, and using Foxp3 Tregs has been proposed as treatment for autoimmune diseases. The clinical use of Tregs will require large numbers of cells and methods for in vitro expansion of Tregs are being developed. Foxp3 Tregs can be divided into 2 subpopulations based on expression of the transcription factor, Helios. Foxp3 H...

Genetic defects in the transcription factor forkhead box protein P3 (Foxp3) cause immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked (IPEX). IPEX is thought to be due to a defect in naturally arising CD4+ Tregs. In this issue of the JCI, Bacchetta and colleagues demonstrate that patients with IPEX and missense mutations in Foxp3 provide insight into the role of various domains of F...

Regulatory T (Treg) cells, whose identity and function are defined by the transcription factor Foxp3, are indispensable for immune homeostasis. It is unclear whether Foxp3 exerts its Treg lineage specification function through active modification of the chromatin landscape and establishment of new enhancers or by exploiting a pre-existing enhancer landscape. Analysis of the chromatin accessibil...

The transcription factor Foxp3 represents the most specific functional marker of CD4+ regulatory T cells (TRegs). However, previous reports have described Foxp3 expression in other cell types including some subsets of macrophages, although there are conflicting reports and Foxp3 expression in cells other than Treg is not well characterized. We performed detailed investigations into Foxp3 expres...

FOXP3 is a lineage-specific transcription factor that is required for regulatory T cell development and function. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of the FOXP3 forkhead domain bound to DNA. The structure reveals that FOXP3 can form a stable domain-swapped dimer to bridge DNA in the absence of cofactors, suggesting that FOXP3 may play a role in long-range gene interactions. To ...

objective(s): foxp3 gene is an x-linked gene that encodes foxp3 protein, an essential transcription factor in cd4+cd25+foxp3+ regulatory t (treg) cells.  we aimed, in the present study, to investigate the association of two foxp3 polymorphisms, -2383 c/t (rs3761549) and ivs9+459 t/c (rs2280883), with lung cancer. materials and methods:  in a case-control study we analyzed genotypes and alleles ...

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to play a crucial role in maintaining self-tolerance and suppressing autoimmunity. The forkhead transcription factor, FoxP3, is a key molecule necessary and sufficient for Tregs development and function. However, the molecular mechanisms by which FoxP3 regulates the phenotypic (anergic) and the functional (suppressive) characteristics of Tregs are not ...

Background: Lack of sufficient information on the mechanism of plasma exchange (PE) therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS), has limited this treatment to individual patients with severe relapses who have been refractory to other treatments. This is while PE is used very successfully as a first-line standard treatment in many other neuro-immune disorders. Recent data suggest that Treg/Th17 counterb...

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to play a crucial role in maintaining self-tolerance and suppressing autoimmunity. The forkhead transcription factor, FoxP3, is a key molecule necessary and sufficient for Tregs development and function. However, the molecular mechanisms by which FoxP3 regulates the phenotypic (anergic) and the functional (suppressive) characteristics of Tregs are not ...

In multicellular organisms, specialized functions are delegated to distinct cell types whose identity and functional integrity are maintained upon challenge. However, little is known about the mechanisms enabling lineage inheritance and their biological implications. Regulatory T (Treg) cells, which express the transcription factor Foxp3, suppress fatal autoimmunity throughout the lifespan of a...