Title: Generation of Regulatory T Cells to Antigen Expressed in the Retina
Volume: 7
Issue: 3
Author(s): Scott W. McPherson, Neal D. Heuss, Ute Lehmann and Dale S. Gregerson
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Regulatory T cells, immune privilege, retina, Tregs, Ocular immune regulation, ocular tissue, Retinal Ags, Tregs mediated immune regulation, DTH response, immunoregulation
Abstract: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are generated to antigens (Ag) found in the retina. Some Tregs are the result of ectopic expression of the retinal Ags in the thymus, where developing T cells are committed to enter the regulatory lineage. However, the generation of retinal Ag-specific Tregs independent of the thymus was uncertain. Our studies show that Tregs can be generated from mature, peripheral T cells based on exposure to retinal Ags. These peripherally induced Tregs limited immune responses and experimental autoimmune disease induced by retinal Ags and thus constitute a crucial component of retinal immune privilege.
