J Immunol. 2026 Nov 2;215(11):vkag291. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag291.
ABSTRACT
Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are driven by chronic inflammation and tissue damage. Regulatory T (Treg) cells are critical for maintaining immune tolerance, yet their therapeutic use is limited by stability and tissue homing. Here, we demonstrate that agonism of tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) increases effector and tissue-competent Treg cell progenitors in mice and humans. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals that TNFR2 is highly expressed on early and late nonlymphoid tissue Treg cell precursors, with expression strongly correlated with the BATF-driven tissue Treg cell transcriptional program. In vivo, a single dose of TNFR2 agonist promotes the clonal commitment of Treg cells to effector and tissue lineage, increasing tissue Treg cell populations in lymphoid and peripheral tissues. This increase is associated with enhanced suppressive function, epigenetic stability (preserved FOXP3 CNS2 demethylation), and resistance to inflammatory conversion. In murine models of skin inflammation and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, TNFR2 agonism ameliorates disease severity in a dose-dependent manner. Critically, in human Treg cells, TNFR2 agonism induces elements of the tissue residency transcriptional program-including upregulation of LAYN, CCR8, CCR4, and TIGIT-while maintaining lineage stability. These findings establish TNFR2 signaling as a central driver of effector and tissue Treg cell differentiation and position TNFR2 agonism as a transformative strategy for generating stable, tissue-competent effector Treg cells as a promising immunomodulatory therapy for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
PMID:43003131 | DOI:10.1093/jimmun/vkag291