Table 1

Evidence that Foxp3⁺regulatory T cells have protective effects in mouse models of lupus

Depletion of CD4⁺CD25⁺cells in (NZB × NZW)F1 hybrid mice accelerated the onset of glomerulonephritis [19]

CD4⁺CD25⁺natural or thymus-derived CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺cells are decreased in young BWF1 and/or SNF1 mice before they develop glomerulonephritis [20,21,25]

Transfer of CD4⁺CD25⁺cells from young lupus-prone mice have some protective effects on the development of the disease [18,20]

Immunization of BWF1 and/or SNF1 mice with tolerogenic peptides induce Foxp3⁺CD4⁺and/or Foxp3⁺CD8⁺regulatory T cells that produce transforming growth factor beta and suppress the development of lupus [32-37]

The tolerogenic peptides generate tolerogenic transforming growth factor beta, producing plasmacytoid dendritic cells that expand both CD4 and CD8 regulatory T cells [32]

Horwitz Arthritis Research & Therapy 2008 10:227 doi:10.1186/ar2511