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RESEARCH PRODUCT

An essential role for the IL-2 receptor in Treg cell function

Ye ZhengTakatoshi ChinenArun K. KannanJason D. FontenotYongqiang FengAndrew G. LevineXiying FanUlf KleinGeorg GasteigerGeorg GasteigerAlexander Y. Rudensky

subject

0301 basic medicineInterleukin 2ImmunologyFOXP3Immune receptorBiologyImmune toleranceCell biology03 medical and health sciences030104 developmental biology0302 clinical medicineImmunologymedicineImmunology and AllergyIL-2 receptorReceptorTranscription factorCD8030215 immunologymedicine.drug

description

Regulatory T cells (Treg cells), which have abundant expression of the interleukin 2 receptor (IL-2R), are reliant on IL-2 produced by activated T cells. This feature indicates a key role for a simple network based on the consumption of IL-2 by Treg cells in their suppressor function. However, congenital deficiency in IL-2R results in reduced expression of the Treg cell lineage-specification factor Foxp3, which has confounded experimental efforts to understand the role of IL-2R expression and signaling in the suppressor function of Treg cells. Using genetic gain- and loss-of-function approaches, we found that capture of IL-2 was dispensable for the control of CD4+ T cells but was important for limiting the activation of CD8+ T cells, and that IL-2R-dependent activation of the transcription factor STAT5 had an essential role in the suppressor function of Treg cells separable from signaling via the T cell antigen receptor.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2016-09-05Nature Immunology
https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.3540