Abstract
Autoimmune hepatitis and post-transplant alloimmune hepatitis are inflammatory conditions observed in the native and transplanted liver respectively. Regulatory T cells play a crucial role in the maintenance of immune tolerance and prevention of autoimmunity. Endoplasmic reticulum stress with unfolded protein response activation have been reported in circulating regulatory T cells suggesting a possible link between them. This review explores the role of regulatory T cells in autoimmunity focusing on their function and regulation in the liver. It also highlights the involvement of endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response activation in autoimmune diseases. Understanding the interplay between endoplasmic reticulum stress, unfolded protein response activation and regulatory T cells may provide insights into disease pathogenesis and identify novel therapeutic targets for treatment of autoimmune liver diseases.
Keywords
Activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), Regulatory T cell dysregulation, CCAAT/enhancerbinding protein homology protein (CHOP), Human endogenous retrovirus (HERV)