CD4+ T cell anergy prevents autoimmunity and generates regulatory T cell precursors

T cell anergy is a well-established phenomenon, but its physiological role is unclear. Mueller and colleagues demonstrate that anergic self-reactive T cells are present at steady state and that these are predisposed to generate peripheral regulatory T cells. The role of anergy, an acquired state of T cell functional unresponsiveness, in natural peripheral tolerance remains unclear. In this study, we found that anergy was selectively induced in fetal antigen–specific maternal CD4 + T cells during pregnancy. A naturally occurring subpopulation of anergic polyclonal CD4 + T cells, enriched for self antigen–specific T cell antigen receptors, was also present in healthy hosts. Neuropilin-1 expression in anergic conventional CD4 + T cells was associated with hypomethylation of genes related to thymic regulatory T cells (T reg cells), and this correlated with their ability to differentiate into Foxp3 + T reg cells that suppressed immunopathology. Thus, our data suggest that not only is anergy induction important in preventing autoimmunity but also it generates the precursors for peripheral T reg cell differentiation.