Yuanfei Zhao, Leigh Nicholson, Hannah Wang, Yi Wen Qian, Wayne J Hawthorne, Elvira Jimenez-Vera, Brian S Gloss, Joey Lai, Adwin Thomas, Yi Vee Chew, Heather Burns, Geoff Y Zhang, Yuan Min Wang, Natasha M Rogers, Guoping Zheng, Shounan Yi, Stephen I Alexander, Philip J O'Connell, Min Hu
CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an essential role in suppressing transplant rejection, but their role within the graft and heterogeneity in tolerance are poorly understood. Here, we compared phenotypic and transcriptomic characteristics of Treg populations within lymphoid organs and grafts in an islet xenotransplant model of tolerance. We showed Tregs were essential for tolerance induction and maintenance. Tregs demonstrated heterogeneity within the graft and lymphoid organs of tolerant mice. A subpopulation of CD127hi Tregs with memory features were found in lymphoid organs, presented in high proportions within long-surviving islet grafts, and had a transcriptomic and phenotypic profile similar to tissue Tregs...
February 13, 2024: JCI Insight