Foxp3⁺ regulatory T cells are expanded in severe atopic dermatitis patients

Abstract

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are known to play critical roles in homeostasis and immune responses in the skin. Whether Treg frequencies are altered in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients has been addressed by several studies, leading to conflicting results. The detection of Tregs by FOXP3 expression may lead to false-positive results as activated T cells without regulatory function may transiently upregulate this transcription factor. In contrast, measurement of the DNA methylation status of a region within the FOXP3 locus that is selectively demethylated only in bona fide Tregs (Treg-specific demethylated region, TSDR) represents a reliable method to quantify Tregs. Here, we measured circulating Treg frequencies of adult patients and detected a positive correlation with disease severity. Subsequent surface marker analysis revealed higher frequencies of CD45RA(+) CCR7(-) tissue-homing Tregs in the patient group with a tendency of reduced expression of CD39 compared with healthy donors, a marker for the highly suppressive TREM subtype.

Vitamin D and the Pathophysiology of Inflammatory Skin Diseases

“…T reg cells play an important role in AD. Many studies have shown a high T reg (CD4+CD25+Foxp3+) population with normal immunosuppressive activity in the peripheral blood of AD patients, which is also found to be positively correlated with the severity of the disease [107,108,109,110]. However, when stimulated with Staphylococcus enterotoxin B, T reg cells lost their immunosuppressive activity suggesting a mechanism of T-cell activation by Staphylococcus aureus in AD lesions [107,108].…”

The impact of langerin (CD207)+ dendritic cells and FOXP3+ Treg cells in the small bowel mucosa of children with celiac disease and atopic dermatitis in comparison to children with functional gastrointestinal disorders

“…However, some studies found a significant increase of circulating FOXP3+ Treg cells in patients with AD and their correlation with serum IgE level . Also Roesner et al reported elevated FOXP3+ Treg cells expression in patients with severe AD. It should be noted that the above authors measured circulating Treg cells while in our study the density of FOXP3+ Treg cells was evaluated immunohistochemically.…”

Changes in induced regulatory T cells by interleukin 35 during atopic dermatitis

“…1 The study found a positive correlation between these cells and disease severity. Recently, several researchers have focused on the relatively newly identified Tregs, which are induced by interleukin (IL)-35 and suppress effector T cell function.…”