MCL-1 AS CRITICAL REGULATOR OF FOXP3+ REGULATORY T CELL SURVIVAL, AND USE THEREOF TO TREAT SEVERE IMMUNE DISORDERS

摘要

The present application relates to the field of immunology, more particularly to diseases and disorders characterized by insufficient numbers of Foxp3 positive regulatory T cells (T_regs). The mechanisms of the homeostatic processes that regulate the Treg numbers were studied, and it was found that Mcl-expression is critical for Treg survival. As most studies aiming at increasing T_reg numbers to modulate immunity only achieve a transient increase, this finding has important therapeutic consequences: combined Mcl-1 and Foxp3 expression results in a stable population of T_reg cells; enhancing T_reg numbers will result in clinical improvement in many severe immune disorders.