The immunomodulatory effects of regulatory T cells: implications for immune regulation in the skin

Regulatory T cells are thought to have a critical role in the suppression of immune responses. In addition to the prevention of the development of autoimmunity, they are also thought to have a role in the prevention of allergic responses to environmental allergens, immune responses to tumours and the development of memory responses to chronic infections. They have been isolated within the skin and have been shown to express surface markers that enable skin-specific migration, suggesting that regulatory T cells have a functional role in the skin. There is accumulating evidence to suggest that regulatory T cells may be involved in numerous skin disorders and may also be modified by various therapeutic agents used to treat these disorders. We review the evidence for the presence of this T-cell subset in humans, the suppressive effects of regulatory T cells, and their role in the skin.