Emerging mechanisms of immune regulation: the extended B7 family and regulatory T cells

doi:10.1186/ar1225

Arthritis Res Ther. 2004; 6(5): 208–214.

Published online 2004 August 5. doi: 10.1186/ar1225

PMCID: PMC546290

Emerging mechanisms of immune regulation: the extended B7 family and regulatory T cells

P'ng Loke¹ and James P Allison¹

¹Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

Corresponding author.

James P Allison: jallison/at/uclink4.berkeley.edu

Received May 12, 2004; Revisions requested June 29, 2004; Revised July 13, 2004; Accepted July 19, 2004.

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Abstract

Whereas B7-1/B7-2 and CD28/cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) serve as the main switches regulating the clonal composition of activated naive T cells, other B7 family members fine-tune the expansion and properties of activated T cells. Inducible costimulatory molecule (ICOS)-B7h promotes T-dependent antibody isotype switching and expansion of effector cells. Effector T cells trafficking into inflamed tissues interact with antigen-presenting cells there and are regulated by PD-1 and its ligands. B7-H3 and B7x could control the interaction between effector T cells and the peripheral tissues. The different varieties of regulatory T cells could regulate both naive T cell activation and effector function through costimulatory receptor/ligands.

Keywords: antitumor immunity, autoimmunity, costimulation, inflammation, regulatory T cells

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