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Regulatory T cells and immune tolerance (Nobel 2025)

Shimon SakaguchiMary E. BrunkowFred Ramsdell

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For everyone

Why does the immune system attack microbes but not our own tissues? In 1995 Sakaguchi identified a special group of T cells that brake immune responses (regulatory T cells). In 2001 Brunkow and Ramsdell found FOXP3, the gene that controls their development. These discoveries received the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Treatments for autoimmune disease and cancer are being developed on this basis.

For specialists

Sakaguchi showed that mice depleted of CD4⁺ T cells expressing CD25 (the IL-2 receptor α chain) develop multi-organ autoimmunity. Brunkow and colleagues found that the fatal autoimmune disease of "scurfy" mice is caused by a Foxp3 mutation; in humans FOXP3 mutations cause IPEX syndrome. Tregs are a key mechanism of peripheral tolerance.

Claims

Evidence

Supporting

Experiment

Mice receiving T cells depleted of CD25⁺ CD4⁺ cells developed autoimmune disease; adding those cells back prevented it.[1]

Genetic data

A mutation in the Foxp3 gene of scurfy mice caused fatal autoimmune disease.[2]

Challenging

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Connections

Parent

Medicine

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Sources

  1. ArticleSakaguchi, S.; Sakaguchi, N.; Asano, M.; Itoh, M.; Toda, M. (1995). Immunologic self-tolerance maintained by activated T cells expressing IL-2 receptor alpha-chains (CD25). Journal of Immunology 155(3), 1151–1164DOI 10.4049/jimmunol.155.3.1151archive
  2. ArticleBrunkow, M. E. et al. (2001). Disruption of a new forkhead/winged-helix protein, scurfin, results in the fatal lymphoproliferative disorder of the scurfy mouse. Nature Genetics 27, 68–73DOI 10.1038/83784archive
  3. Web (2025). The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025 (press release). NobelPrize.orgnobelprize.orgarchive

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Cite this page

APA

Athena contributors. (2026). Regulatory T cells and immune tolerance (Nobel 2025). Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/treg/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_treg,
  title        = {Regulatory T cells and immune tolerance (Nobel 2025)},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/treg/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 27, 2026 · Page history

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