License to Heal: Bidirectional Interaction of Antigen-Specific Regulatory T Cells and Tolerogenic APC

Naturally occurring CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T (T(R)) cells, a component of the innate immune response, which play a key role in the maintenance of self-tolerance, have become the focus of numerous studies over the last decade. These cells inhibit the immune response in an Ag-nonspecific manner, interacting with other T cells. Much less is known about adaptive T(R) cells, which develop in response to chronic antigenic stimulation, and act directly on professional and nonprofessional APC, rendering them tolerogenic and able to elicit the differentiation of CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells with suppressive activity. In this review, we will discuss data pertaining to the bidirectional interaction between Ag-specific T(R) with APC and their clinical relevance.