Wing Kajsa, Sakaguchi Shimon
Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2006 Dec;6(6):482-8. doi: 10.1097/01.all.0000246625.79988.12.
CD4 regulatory T cells are fundamental for the induction and maintenance of immunological tolerance to self and foreign-antigens, including allergens. Here we discuss recent advances in the field of regulatory T cells and how this knowledge can be exploited to treat and prevent allergy.
Current research suggest that naturally occurring CD4CD25 regulatory T cells together with inducible IL-10-producing CD4 regulatory T cells actively control allergic responses and that their function or numbers may contribute to the development or progression of allergy. Indeed, successful treatment of allergy by allergen-specific immunotherapy may depend on the induction of IL-10 secreting CD4 T cells. Work has begun to reveal the impact of various pharmaceutical treatments on naturally occurring CD25 regulatory T cells. In addition, recent findings point to an important role for toll-like receptors in the tuning of regulatory T cell function and homeostasis. This may link the hygiene hypothesis to regulatory T cells and open up new possibilities for early intervention in allergic disease.
The identification of a role for regulatory T cells in allergic disease has provided a host of new therapeutic possibilities, with the potential prospect of safe and long-term alleviation of allergic diseases.
CD4调节性T细胞对于诱导和维持对自身及包括过敏原在内的外来抗原的免疫耐受至关重要。在此，我们讨论调节性T细胞领域的最新进展，以及如何利用这些知识来治疗和预防过敏。
当前研究表明，天然存在的CD4CD25调节性T细胞以及可诱导产生白细胞介素-10的CD4调节性T细胞可积极控制过敏反应，其功能或数量可能与过敏的发生或进展有关。事实上，通过过敏原特异性免疫疗法成功治疗过敏可能依赖于诱导分泌白细胞介素-10的CD4 T细胞。相关研究已开始揭示各种药物治疗对天然存在的CD25调节性T细胞的影响。此外，最近的研究结果表明，Toll样受体在调节性T细胞功能的调节和体内平衡中发挥重要作用。这可能将卫生假说与调节性T细胞联系起来，并为过敏性疾病的早期干预开辟新的可能性。
调节性T细胞在过敏性疾病中的作用的确定提供了许多新的治疗可能性，有望安全、长期地缓解过敏性疾病。
