The role of ICOS in directing T cell responses: ICOS-dependent induction of T cell anergy by tolerogenic dendritic cells.

Abstract Tolerogenic dendritic cells (DC) play an important role in maintaining peripheral T cell tolerance in steady-state conditions through induction of anergic, IL-10-producing T cells with suppressive properties. ICOS, an activation-induced member of the CD28 family on T cells, is involved in the induction of IL-10, which itself could contribute to induction of anergy and development of suppressive T cells. Therefore, we analyzed the functional role of ICOS in the differentiation process of human CD4+ T cells upon their interaction with tolerogenic DC. We compared the functional properties of CD4+ T cells from healthy volunteers and ICOS-deficient patients after stimulation with tolero…