Characterization of CD4⁺ FOXP3⁺ T‐cell clones established from chronic inflammatory lesions

Abstract

Our study makes it evident that most, if not all, of the FOXP3(+) T cells in periodontitis lesions can be considered to be effector T cells. The effector activity of the gingival T-cell clones could be attributable to the low level of membrane CD25 expression. Further studies are clearly needed to clarify the role of these T cells and their unique characteristics in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease.