REGULATORY T CELLS

Regulatory T cells (sometimes known as suppressor T cells) are a specialized subpopulation of T cells that act to suppress activation of the immune system and thereby maintain immune system homeostasis and tolerance to self-antigens. The existence of a dedicated population of supressive T cells was the subject of significant controversy among immunologists for many years. However, recent advances in the molecular characterization of this cell population have firmly established their existence and their critical role in the vertebrate immune system. Interest in regulatory T cells has been heightened by evidence from experimental mouse models demonstrating that the immunosuppressive potential of these cells can be harnessed therapeutically to treat autoimmune diseases and facilitate transplantation tolerance or specifically eliminated to potentiate cancer immunotherapy.
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