The role of metabolism, hypoxia and immunomodulatory therapy in regulating the human Treg:Th17 cell axis

Abstract

Th17 cells are important pathogenic effector cells in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis and multiple sclerosis (MS). On the other hand, regulatory T (Treg) cells play a crucial role in maintaining tolerance and preventing autoimmunity. Under healthy conditions there is a balance between Treg and effector T cell responses, which may be perturbed in autoimmunity, cancer and other diseases; therefore, it is crucial to understand the factors that regulate this balance. Recently, a role for metabolism and hypoxia in murine T cell differentiation has been identified.