Foxp3 is a marker for regulatory T cells (Treg cells), but recent studies have shown the plasticity and heterogeneity of CD4
We enrolled 47 patients with SLE, 31 with organ-specific autoimmune diseases (15 with multiple sclerosis and 16 with primary immune thrombocytopenia), and 19 healthy subjects. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were used to evaluate the proportion and phenotype of CD4
CD4
A unique tTreg subset with dichotomic immunoregulatory and T helper 17 phenotypes is increased in the circulation of SLE patients and may be involved in the pathogenic process of SLE.