Cooperation of invariant NKT cells and CD46+CD256+ T regulatory cells in prevention of aut

Cooperation of invariant NKT cells and CD46+CD256+ T regulatory cells in prevention of autoimmune diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice

treated with α-galactosylceramide

Weipeng Li;Fang Ji;Yong Zhang;Ying Wang;Neng yang;Hailiang Ge;Fuqing Wang

【期刊名称】《生物化学与生物物理学报：英文版》 【年(卷),期】2008(040)005

【摘要】CD1d-restricted natural killer T (NKT) cells and CD4+CD25+regulatory T (Treg) cells are two thymus-derived subsets of regulatory T cells that play an important role in the maintenance of self-tolerance. Yet the functional changes of the two subsets of regulatory T cells in the development of diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice remain unclear, and how NKT cells and CD4+CD25+ Treg cells cooperate functionally in the regulation of autoimmune diabetes is also uncertain.We provide evidence that in NOD mice, an animal model of human type 1 diabetes, the functions of both NKT cells and CD4+CD25+ Treg cells decrease in an age-dependent manner.We show that treatment with α-galactosylceramide increases the size of the CD4+CD25+ Treg cell compartment in NOD mice, and augments the expression of forkhead/winged helix transcription factor and the potency of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells to inhibit proliferation of CD4+CD25- T cells. Our data indicate that NKT cells and CD4+CD25+ Treg cells