Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2024 Mar 21;249:10040. doi: 10.3389/ebm.2024.10040. eCollection 2024.
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) constitute a specialized subset of T cells with dual immunoregulatory and modulatory functions. Recent studies have reported that Tregs mediate immune responses and regulate the development and repair processes in non-lymphoid tissues, including bone and cardiac muscle. Additionally, Tregs facilitate the repair and regeneration of damaged lung tissues. However, limited studies have examined the role of Tregs in pulmonary development. This study aimed to evaluate the role of Tregs in pulmonary development by investigating the dynamic alterations in Tregs and their hallmark cellular factor Forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) at various stages of murine lung development and establishing a murine model of anti-CD25 antibody-induced Treg depletion. During the early stages of murine lung development, especially the canalicular and saccular stages, the levels of Treg abundance and expression of Foxp3 and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were upregulated. This coincided with the proliferation period of alveolar epithelial cells and vascular endothelial cells, indicating an adaptation to the dynamic lung developmental processes. Furthermore, the depletion of Tregs disrupted lung tissue morphology and downregulated lung development-related factors, such as surfactant protein C (SFTPC), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM1/CD31). These findings suggest that Tregs promote murine lung development.
调节性 T 细胞(Tregs)是具有双重免疫调节和调节功能的 T 细胞的一个特殊亚群。最近的研究报告称,Tregs 介导免疫反应,并调节非淋巴组织(包括骨骼和心肌)的发育和修复过程。此外,Tregs 有助于受损肺组织的修复和再生。然而,关于 Tregs 在肺发育中的作用的研究有限。本研究旨在通过研究 Tregs 及其标志性细胞因子叉头框 P3(Foxp3)在小鼠肺发育的各个阶段的动态变化,并建立抗 CD25 抗体诱导 Treg 耗竭的小鼠模型,来评估 Tregs 在肺发育中的作用。在小鼠肺发育的早期阶段,特别是在小管和囊泡阶段,Treg 丰度的水平和 Foxp3 和转化生长因子-β(TGF-β)的表达上调。这与肺泡上皮细胞和血管内皮细胞的增殖期相吻合,表明其适应了动态的肺发育过程。此外,Treg 的耗竭破坏了肺组织形态,并下调了与肺发育相关的因子,如表面活性剂蛋白 C(SFTPC)、血管内皮生长因子 A(VEGFA)和血小板内皮细胞黏附分子-1(PECAM1/CD31)。这些发现表明 Tregs 促进了小鼠肺的发育。