{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,24]],"date-time":"2025-11-24T16:46:51Z","timestamp":1764002811807,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,28]],"date-time":"2025-08-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756339200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Comunidad Autonoma de Madrid","award":["IND2020\/BMD-17364"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IND2020\/BMD-17364"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Regulatory T (Treg) cells are essential for maintaining self-tolerance and regulating immune responses. In this study, we report the identification of Treg cell epitopes in human \u03b1-tubulin that were capable of enhancing IL-10-producing Foxp3+ Treg cells and LAG-3+CD49b+FoxP3\u2212 Tr1 cells in vitro, using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Similarly, we also demonstrate that a peptide pool containing the identified Treg cell epitopes (\u03b1TBL pool) suppressed the T cell responses elicited by HLA class I- and class II-restricted T cell epitopes. Moreover, stimulation of naive CD4+ T cells with autologous monocyte-derived dendritic cells in the presence of the \u03b1TBL pool promoted the differentiation of functional FoxP3+ Treg cells, which suppressed the proliferation of CD3\/CD28-activated T cells. Finally, we show that one of the identified epitopes, identical between human and mouse, also stimulated FoxP3+ Treg cells in splenocytes isolated from C57BL\/6 mice. Considering the elevated expression of \u03b1-tubulin in all cell types, the presence of Treg cell epitopes in this protein may facilitate a broad mechanism of immune regulation. Moreover, \u03b1-tubulin Treg cell epitopes may prove useful in creating novel treatments for conditions marked by excessive or misdirected immune responses.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms26178356","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,28]],"date-time":"2025-08-28T11:41:12Z","timestamp":1756381272000},"page":"8356","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Peptides Derived from \u03b1-Tubulin Induce Functional T Regulatory Cells"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"given":"Tara","family":"Fiyouzi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Pza Ramon y Cajal s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Inmunotek SL, Calle Punto Mobi, 5, 28805 Alcal\u00e1 de Henares, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0134-5321","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jose L.","family":"Subiza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Inmunotek SL, Calle Punto Mobi, 5, 28805 Alcal\u00e1 de Henares, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8466-1022","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Esther M.","family":"Lafuente","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Pza Ramon y Cajal s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3966-5838","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro A.","family":"Reche","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Pza Ramon y Cajal s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"541","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-immunol-042718-041717","article-title":"Regulatory T Cells and Human Disease","volume":"38","author":"Sakaguchi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Annu. 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