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Expansion of CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + T cells by bone marrow‐derived dendritic cells
Author(s) -
Marguti Ivo,
Yamamoto Guilherme Lopes,
da Costa Thaís Boccia,
Rizzo Luiz Vicente,
de Moraes Luciana Vieira
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.297
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1365-2567
pISSN - 0019-2805
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2008.02927.x
Subject(s) - il 2 receptor , foxp3 , bone marrow , population , lymph node , biology , immunology , immune system , cytokine , microbiology and biotechnology , t cell , chemistry , medicine , environmental health
Summary Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most important antigen‐presenting cells of the immune system and have a crucial role in T‐lymphocyte activation and adaptive immunity initiation. However, DCs have also been implicated in maintaining immunological tolerance. In this study, we evaluated changes in the CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + T‐cell population after co‐culture of lymph node cells from BALB/c mice with syngeneic bone marrow‐derived DCs. Our results showed an increase in CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + T cells after co‐culture which occurred regardless of the activation state of DCs and the presence of allogeneic apoptotic cells; however, it was greater when DCs were immature and were pulsed with the alloantigen. Interestingly, syngeneic apoptotic thymocytes were not as efficient as allogeneic apoptotic cells in expanding the CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + T‐cell population. In all experimental settings, DCs produced high amounts of transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β. The presence of allogeneic apoptotic cells induced interleukin (IL)‐2 production in immature and mature DC cultures. This cytokine was also detected in the supernatants under all experimental conditions and enhanced when immature DCs were pulsed with the alloantigen. CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + T‐cell expansion during co‐culture of lymph node cells with DCs strongly suggested that the presence of alloantigen enhanced the number of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in vitro . Our data also suggest a role for both TGF‐β and IL‐2 in the augmentation of the CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + population.