Expression of CD39 by Human Peripheral Blood CD4+CD25+ T Cells Denotes a Regulatory Memory Phenotype |
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Authors: | K. M. Dwyer D. Hanidziar P. Putheti P. A. Hill S. Pommey J. L. McRae A. Winterhalter G. Doherty S. Deaglio M. Koulmanda W. Gao S. C. Robson T. B. Strom |
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Affiliation: | 1. Immunology Research Centre;2. Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia;3. These authors contributed equally to the work and surnames are arranged alphabetically.;4. Departments of Medicine and Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Transplant Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA;5. Department of Pathology, St. Vincent's Hospital;6. Department of Genetics, Biology and Biochemistry and CeRMS, University of Turin School of Medicine, Turin, Italy;7. Joint senior authors |
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Abstract: | We have shown that CD39 and CD73 are coexpressed on the surface of murine CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) and generate extracellular adenosine, contributing to Treg immunosuppressive activity. We now describe that CD39, independently of CD73, is expressed by a subset of blood‐derived human CD4+CD25+CD127lo Treg, defined by robust expression of Foxp3. A further distinct population of CD4+CD39+ T lymphocytes can be identified, which do not express CD25 and FoxP3 and exhibit the memory effector cellular phenotype. Differential expression of CD25 and CD39 on circulating CD4+ T cells distinguishes between Treg and pathogenic cellular populations that secrete proinflammatory cytokines such as IFNγ and IL‐17. These latter cell populations are increased, with a concomitant decrease in the CD4+CD25+CD39+ Tregs, in the peripheral blood of patients with renal allograft rejection. We conclude that the ectonucleotidase CD39 is a useful and dynamic lymphocytes surface marker that can be used to identify different peripheral blood T cell‐populations to allow tracking of these in health and disease, as in renal allograft rejection. |
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Keywords: | CD4 regulatory cells regulatory T cells renal allograft renal allograft rejection |
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