The dark side of regulatory T cells in psoriasis

J Invest Dermatol. 2011 Sep;131(9):1785-6. doi: 10.1038/jid.2011.200.

Abstract

Psoriasis is a hereditary disease elicited by chronic activation of cutaneous T cells. Delineating the mechanistic interplay of the cell subsets involved is key to developing the next generation of effective treatments. In this issue, Bovenschen et al. report that regulatory T cells maintain a fine balance between the transcription factors Foxp3 and RORγt. In patients with psoriasis, Tregs readily turn into IL-17-expressing cells, thus potentially perpetuating the inflammatory process that characterizes the disease. Results demonstrating that the histone/protein deacetylation inhibitor trichostatin A can block this conversion suggest that an epigenetic modification may underlie regulatory T-cell plasticity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Forkhead Transcription Factors / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-17 / immunology*
  • Psoriasis / immunology*
  • Psoriasis / pathology*
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology*
  • Th17 Cells / immunology*

Substances

  • FOXP3 protein, human
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • IL17A protein, human
  • Interleukin-17