A wave of Foxp3 + regulatory T cell accumulation in the neonatal liver plays unique roles in maintaining self-tolerance

The liver in newborn animals undergo a maturation process in order to adapt to a plethora of changes and challenges in the extra-uterine life. The influx of regulatory T cells during 1-2-week period protect the animals from autoimmune hepatitis and govern the transformation of a neonatal liver to a crucial metabolic organ in adults. CD4+GFP+ Treg cells from the liver and spleen of Foxp3GFP knock-in mice (12-day-old) were purified by flow cytometry.