Recent advances in CD8+ regulatory T�cell research (Review)

作者：Yating Yu, Xinbo Ma, Rufei Gong, Jianmeng Zhu, Lihua Wei, Jin‐Guang Yao · 发表于：Oncology Letters · 年份：2018 · DOI：10.3892/ol.2018.8378 · 被引用次数：96 · 研究领域：T-cell and B-cell Immunology、Immune Cell Function and Interaction、Immunotherapy and Immune Responses

Various subgroups of CD8+ T lymphocytes do not only demonstrate cytotoxic effects, but also serve important regulatory roles in the body's immune response. In particular, CD8+ regulatory T cells (CD8+ Tregs), which possess important immunosuppressive functions, are able to effectively block the overreacting immune response and maintain the body's immune homeostasis. In recent years, studies have identified a small set of special CD8+ Tregs that can recognize major histocompatibility complex class Ib molecules, more specifically Qa‑1 in mice and HLA‑E in humans, and target the self‑reactive CD4+ T cells. These findings have generated broad implications in the scientific community and attracted general interest to CD8+ Tregs. The present study reviews the recent research progress on CD8+ Tregs, including their origin, functional classification, molecular markers and underlying mechanisms of action.