FoxP3 in Treg cell biology: a molecular and structural perspective

Regulatory T cells (T-regs) are specialized in immune suppression and play a dominant role in peripheral immune tolerance. T-reg cell lineage development and function maintenance is determined by the forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3) transcriptional factor, whose activity is fine-tuned by its post-translational modifications (PTMs) and interaction partners. In this review, we summarize current studies in the crystal structures, the PTMs and interaction partners of FoxP3 protein, and discuss how these insights may provide a roadmap for new approaches to modulate T-reg suppression, and new therapies to enhance immune tolerance in autoimmune diseases.