CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells: Origin, Function and Therapeutic Potential

The vertebrate immune system defends the organism against invading pathogens while at the same time being self-tolerant to the body’s own constituents thus preserving its integrity. Multiple mechanisms work in concert to ensure self-tolerance. Apart from purging the T cell repertoire from auto-reactive T cells via negative selection in the thymus dominant tolerance exerted by regulatory T cells plays a major role in tolerance imposition and maintenance. Among the various regulatory/suppress...