Human CD4+ CD25+ CD127hi cells and the Th1/Th2 phenotype.

CD4+ T cells that co-express CD25 and CD127 (CD25+CD127+) make up around 20% of all circulating CD4+ memory T cells in healthy people. The clinical significance of these cells is that in children with type 1 diabetes their relative frequency at diagnosis is significantly and directly correlated with rate of disease progression. The purpose of this study was to further characterize the CD25+CD127hi cells. We show that they are a mix of Th1 and Th2 cells however, they have a significantly higher relative frequency of pre-committed and committed Th2 cells, and secrete significantly higher levels of Th2-type cytokines than CD25- memory T cells. Further, these cells are neither exhausted nor senescent and proliferate to the same extent as CD25- memory cells. Thus, CD25+CD127hi cells are a highly active subset of memory T cells that might play a role in controlling inflammation via anti-inflammatory Th2-type deviation.

A pilot study showing associations between frequency of CD4(+) memory cell subsets at diagnosis and duration of partial remission in type 1 diabetes.

In some patients with type 1 diabetes the dose of insulin required to achieve euglycemia is substantially reduced soon after diagnosis. This partial remission is associated with ß-cell function and good glucose control. The purpose of this study was to assess whether frequencies of CD4(+) T cell subsets in children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are associated with length of partial remission. We found that the frequency of CD4(+) memory cells, activated Treg cells and CD25(+) cells that express a high density of the IL-7 receptor, CD127 (CD127(hi)) are strongly associated with length of partial remission. Prediction of length of remission via Cox regression is significantly enhanced when CD25(+) CD127(hi) cell frequency is combined with either Insulin Dependent Adjusted A1c (IDAA1c), or glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), or C-peptide levels at diagnosis. CD25(+) CD127(hi) cells do not express Foxp3, LAG-3 and CD49b, indicating that they are neither Treg nor Tr1 cells.

Data on correlations between T cell subset frequencies and length of partial remission in type 1 diabetes.

Partial remission in patients newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes is a period of good glucose control that can last from several weeks to over a year. The clinical significance of the remission period is that patients might be more responsive to immunotherapy if treated within this period. This article provides clinical data that indicates the level of glucose control and insulin-secreting ß-cell function of each patient in the study at baseline (within 3 months of diagnosis), and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months post-baseline. The relative frequency of immune cell subsets in the PBMC of each patient and the association between the frequency of immune cell subsets measured and length of remission is also shown. These data support the findings reported in the accompanying publication, "A pilot study showing associations between frequency of CD4+ memory cell subsets at diagnosis and duration of partial remission in type 1 diabetes" (Moya et al., 2016) [1], where a full interpretation, including biological relevance of the study can be found.