Gene expression profiling of natural and induced regulatory T cells

The gene expression profile of peripheral Foxp3+ natural regulatory T cells isolated from Foxp3/EGFP bicistronic mice was compared to that of in vitro-induced regulatory T cells and to CD4+ conventional (Foxp3-) T cells. The role of the regulatory T cell transcription factor Foxp3 in shaping the transcriptosomes of natural and induced regulatory T cells was analyzed using mice expressing a mutant FOXP3-EGFP fusion protein (Foxp3deltaEGFP). We used gene expression microarrays to examine the transcriptional programs of natural and induced regulatory T cells and the function of Foxp3 in organizing the transcriptosomes of the respective cell type Keywords: Cell population analysis Conventional T cells and natural and induced regulatory T cells were derived from Foxp3/EGFP bicistronic mice and analyzed for their gene expression profile. Conventional T cells, regulatory T cell precursors (CD4+Foxp3deltaEGFP+) and induced regulatory T cell precursors (CD4+Foxp3deltaEGFP+) cells were deriv ed from Foxp3deltaEGFP mice