Mitochondrial-regulated Tregs: potential therapeutic targets for autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system

Aoya Han; Tingting Peng; Yinyin Xie; Wanwan Zhang; Wenlin Sun; Yi Xie; Yunqing Ma; Cui Wang; Nanchang Xie

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1301074

Mitochondrial-regulated Tregs: potential therapeutic targets for autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system

Front Immunol. 2023 Dec 12:14:1301074. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1301074. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Aoya Han^#¹, Tingting Peng^#¹, Yinyin Xie¹, Wanwan Zhang¹, Wenlin Sun¹, Yi Xie¹, Yunqing Ma¹, Cui Wang², Nanchang Xie¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
² Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) can eliminate autoreactive lymphocytes, induce self-tolerance, and suppress the inflammatory response. Mitochondria, as the energy factories of cells, are essential for regulating the survival, differentiation, and function of Tregs. Studies have shown that patients with autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, and autoimmune encephalitis, have aberrant Tregs and mitochondrial damage. However, the role of mitochondrial-regulated Tregs in autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system remains inconclusive. Therefore, this study reviews the mitochondrial regulation of Tregs in autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system and investigates the possible mitochondrial therapeutic targets.

Keywords: Foxp3; autoimmune diseases; central nervous system; mitochondria; regulatory T cell; self-tolerance.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Autoimmune Diseases* / therapy
Central Nervous System
Humans
Mitochondria
Multiple Sclerosis* / therapy
Self Tolerance

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the Outstanding Young Talent Cultivation Project of Henan Science and Technology Innovation Talents (Grant number YXKC2022037) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number 81971214).