Expression of CD49f defines subsets of human regulatory T cells with divergent transcriptional landscape and function that correlate with ulcerative colitis disease activity.

Objective: Adoptive regulatory T cell (Treg) therapy is being trialled for the treatment of different autoimmune disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). In-depth understanding of the biological variability of Treg in the human blood may be required to improve IBD immune monitoring and treatment strategies.

Methods: Through a combination of quantitative proteomic, multiparametric flow cytometry, RNA-sequencing data analysis and functional assays on Treg enriched from the blood of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and healthy controls, we investigated the association between CD49f expression, Treg phenotype and function, and UC disease activity.

Results: High-dimensional analysis and filtering defined two distinct subsets of human Treg based on the presence or absence of CD49f with divergent transcriptional landscape and functional activities. CD49f negative (CD49f) Treg are enriched for functional Treg markers and present significantly increased suppressive capacity. In contrast, CD49f Treg display a pro-inflammatory Th17-like phenotype and accumulate in the blood of patients with UC. Dysregulation on CD49f Treg subsets in patients with UC correlate with disease activity.

Conclusion: Overall, our findings uncover the importance of CD49f expression on Treg in physiological immunity and in pathological autoimmunity.