Cells (Nov 2021)

Harnessing CD8<sup>+</sup>CD28<sup>−</sup> Regulatory T Cells as a Tool to Treat Autoimmune Disease

  • Sabrina Ceeraz,
  • Charlotte R. Thompson,
  • Richard Beatson,
  • Ernest H. Choy

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10112973
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 11
p. 2973

Abstract

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T regulatory cell therapy presents a novel therapeutic strategy for patients with autoimmune diseases or who are undergoing transplantation. At present, the CD4+ Treg population has been extensively characterized, as a result of defined phenotypic and functional readouts. In this review article, we discuss the development and biology of CD8+ Tregs and their role in murine and human disease indications. A subset of CD8+ Tregs that lack the surface expression of CD28 (CD8+CD28− Treg) has proved efficacious in preclinical models. CD8+CD28− Tregs are present in healthy individuals, but their impaired functionality in disease renders them less effective in mediating immunosuppression. We primarily focus on harnessing CD8+ Treg cell therapy in the clinic to support current treatment for patients with autoimmune or inflammatory conditions.

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