调节性 T 细胞在免疫和衰老中的复杂作用。
The Complex Role of Regulatory T Cells in Immunity and Aging.
机构信息
Department of Immunology, Institute for Biomedical Aging Research, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Institute of Hygiene & Medical Microbiology, Department of Hygiene, Microbiology and Public Health, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
出版信息
Front Immunol. 2021 Jan 27;11:616949. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.616949. eCollection 2020.
The immune system is a tightly regulated network which allows the development of defense mechanisms against foreign antigens and tolerance toward self-antigens. Regulatory T cells (Treg) contribute to immune homeostasis by maintaining unresponsiveness to self-antigens and suppressing exaggerated immune responses. Dysregulation of any of these processes can lead to serious consequences. Classically, Treg cell functions have been described in CD4 T cells, but other immune cells also harbour the capacity to modulate immune responses. Regulatory functions have been described for different CD8 T cell subsets, as well as other T cells such as γδT cells or NKT cells. In this review we describe the diverse populations of Treg cells and their role in different scenarios. Special attention is paid to the aging process, which is characterized by an altered composition of immune cells. Treg cells can contribute to the development of various age-related diseases but they are poorly characterized in aged individuals. The huge diversity of cells that display immune modulatory functions and the lack of universal markers to identify Treg make the expanding field of Treg research complex and challenging. There are still many open questions that need to be answered to solve the enigma of regulatory T cells.
免疫系统是一个紧密调节的网络,它允许针对外来抗原发展防御机制,并对自身抗原产生耐受。调节性 T 细胞(Treg)通过维持对自身抗原的无反应性和抑制过度的免疫反应,有助于免疫稳态。这些过程中的任何失调都可能导致严重后果。传统上,Treg 细胞的功能已在 CD4 T 细胞中描述,但其他免疫细胞也具有调节免疫反应的能力。已经描述了不同 CD8 T 细胞亚群以及其他 T 细胞(如γδT 细胞或 NKT 细胞)的调节功能。在这篇综述中,我们描述了不同的 Treg 细胞群体及其在不同情况下的作用。特别关注衰老过程,其特征是免疫细胞组成的改变。Treg 细胞可能有助于各种与年龄相关的疾病的发展,但在老年人中它们的特征描述很差。具有免疫调节功能的细胞种类繁多,并且缺乏通用的标记物来识别 Treg,这使得 Treg 研究领域的扩展变得复杂和具有挑战性。仍有许多悬而未决的问题需要解决,以解开调节性 T 细胞的谜团。