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1: Blood. 2008 Oct 15;112(8):3283-92. Epub 2008 Jul 29.
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Development of regulatory T cells requires IL-7Ralpha stimulation by IL-7 or TSLP.

Mazzucchelli R, Hixon JA, Spolski R, Chen X, Li WQ, Hall VL, Willette-Brown J, Hurwitz AA, Leonard WJ, Durum SK.

Laboratory of Molecular Immunoregulation, Cancer and Inflammation Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Frederick, MD, USA.

Interleukin-7 (IL-7), a cytokine produced by stromal cells, is required for thymic development and peripheral homeostasis of most major subsets of T cells. We examined whether regulatory T (Treg) cells also required the IL-7 pathway by analyzing IL-7Ralpha(-/-) mice. We observed a striking reduction in cells with the Treg surface phenotype (CD4, CD25, GITR (glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-like receptor), CD45RB, CD62L, CD103) or intracellular markers (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4, CTLA-4, and forkhead box transcription factor 3, Foxp3). Foxp3 transcripts were virtually absent in IL-7Ralpha(-/-) lymphoid tissues, and no Treg cell suppressive activity could be detected. There are 2 known ligands for IL-7Ralpha: IL-7 itself and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). Surprisingly, mice deficient in IL-7 or the other chain of the TSLP receptor (TSLPR) developed relatively normal numbers of Treg cells. Combined deletion of IL-7 and TSLP receptor greatly reduced Treg cell development in the thymus but was not required for survival of mature peripheral Treg cells. We conclude that Treg cells, like other T cells, require signals from the IL-7 receptor, but unlike other T cells, do not require IL-7 itself because of at least partially overlapping actions of IL-7 and TSLP for development of Treg cells.

Publication Types:
PMID: 18664628 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PMCID: PMC2569178 [Available on 2009/10/15]