Author(s):
Faustino, Lucas ; Mucida, Daniel ; Keller, Alexandre Castro ; Demengeot, Jocelyne ; Bortoluci, Karina ; Sardinha, Luiz Roberto ; Carla Takenaka, Maisa ; Basso, Alexandre Salgado ; Faria, Ana Maria Caetano ; Russo, Momtchilo
Date: 2012
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.7/637
Origin: ARCA - Access to Research and Communication Annals
Subject(s): Animals; Antigens, CD4; Asthma; Cytokines; Female; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; Lung; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Pneumonia; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Th2 Cells; Cell Proliferation
Description
Foxp3(+)CD25(+)CD4(+) regulatory T cells are vital for peripheral tolerance and control of tissue inflammation. In this study, we characterized the phenotype and monitored the migration and activity of regulatory T cells present in the airways of allergic or tolerant mice after allergen challenge. To induce lung allergic inflammation, mice were sensitized twice with ovalbumin/aluminum hydroxide gel and challenged twice with intranasal ovalbumin. Tolerance was induced by oral administration of ovalbumin for 5 consecutive days prior to OVA sensitization and challenge. We detected regulatory T cells (Foxp3(+)CD25(+)CD4(+) T cells) in the airways of allergic and tolerant mice; however, the number of regulatory T cells was more than 40-fold higher in allergic mice than in tolerant mice. Lung regulatory T cells expressed an effector/memory phenotype (CCR4(high)CD62L(low)CD44(high)CD54(high)CD69(+)) that distinguished them from naive regulatory T cells (CCR4(int)CD62L(high)CD44(int)CD54(int)CD69(-)). These regulatory T cells efficiently suppressed pulmonary T-cell proliferation but not Th2 cytokine production.
