T cell activation and tolerance are regulated by costimulatory molecules. Although PD-1 serves as a crucial negative regulator of T cells, the function of its ligands, PDL1 and PDL2, is still controversial. In this study, we created a PDL2-deficient mouse to characterize its function in T cell activation and tolerance. Antigenpresenting cells from PDL2؊͞؊ mice were found to be more potent in activation of T cells in vitro over the wild-type controls, which depended on PD-1. Upon immunization with chicken ovalbumin, PDL2؊͞؊ mice exhibited increased activation of CD4 ؉ and CD8 ؉ T cells in vivo when compared with WT animals. In addition, T cell tolerance to an oral antigen was abrogated by the lack of PDL2. Our results thus demonstrate that PDL2 negatively regulates T cells in immune responses and plays an essential role in immune tolerance.costimulation ͉ cytokines ͉ PD-1 D uring infection, pathogen-specific T cells are activated, undergo robust clonal expansion, and subsequently differentiate into effector cells. In contrast, peripheral tolerance mechanisms have been found to prevent autoreactive T cell function (1, 2). Oral tolerance is a form of peripheral tolerance, in which antigen-specific T cell tolerance is induced against oral antigens (3). Although oral tolerance has been tested for protection against autoimmune and allergic diseases, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying oral tolerance induction have remained unclear.T cell activation and tolerance are critically regulated by costimulatory molecules, especially those in the B7 and CD28 superfamilies (4). PD-1, a novel member of the CD28 family, is expressed on activated T cells and B cells (5). PD-1 has been shown to be a negative regulator of T cell activation and is crucial for maintaining immune tolerance. PD-1 deficiency in mouse results in spontaneous autoimmune diseases (6, 7). Moreover, PD-1 deficiency (8) or blockade (9) accelerated autoimmune diabetes on NOD background. Blocking PD-1 also enhanced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) disease (10).Two ligands, B7-H1͞PDL1 and PDL2͞B7DC, have been found to bind to . The function of PDL1 and PDL2 in T cell activation is still in debate. Contradictory results have suggested PDL2 serves as a negative and a positive regulator of T cell function. Latchman et al. (13) have shown that recombinant PDL2 protein inhibited the activation and cytokine production of CD4 ϩ T cells via cell-cycle arrest, whereas Tseng et al. (14) published that B7DC-Ig costimulated the proliferation of naïve T cells at suboptimal anti-CD3 concentrations, and that it increased IFN-␥ secretion. Others studied PDL2 function by using antibodies that block PDL2 binding to PD-1. Salama et al. (10) reported exacerbation of EAE disease when PDL2, but not PDL1, was blocked. In a model of airway hypersensitivity, Matsumoto et al. (15) found that anti-PDL2 antibody administered at the time of challenge increased eosinophilia. These data suggest that PDL2, through engaging PD-1, negatively regulates T cell priming...