Regulatory T Cells: A Crisis Averted

Although regulatory T cells protect people from autoimmunity, two recent papers in Immunity (Malchow et al., 2016; Kieback et al., 2016) demonstrate that these cells are also a crisis averted. Without the proper education in the thymus, these cells will turn on their host and cause autoimmunity. Although regulatory T cells protect people from autoimmunity, Savage and colleagues and Fillatreau and colleagues demonstrate that these cells are also a crisis averted. Without the proper education in the thymus, these cells will turn on their host and cause autoimmunity.