Circulating CD4 regulatory T cells are broadly preserved in Parkinson's disease despite altered HELIOS expression

Naive CD4 regulatory T cells in Parkinson’s disease show reduced HELIOS expression, while circulating CD4 Treg proportions, suppressive function, and FOXP3 TSDR demethylation are broadly preserved versus age-matched healthy controls.

• Why it matters: Prior work on Tregs in Parkinson’s disease has been limited by inconsistent phenotyping and little functional testing, leaving uncertainty about whether Tregs are quantitatively or functionally altered.
• What they did: Using a 24-colour spectral flow cytometry panel, FOXP3+ circulating CD4 Tregs from individuals with PD and age-matched healthy controls were profiled, and their in vitro suppressive effects on autologous T effector proliferation and cytokine production were measured; FOXP3 TSDR demethylation assessed lineage stability.
• The result: CD4 Treg suppressive function and FOXP3 TSDR demethylation were similar between groups, but reduced HELIOS expression was detected in naive CD4 Tregs in PD and also in the CD8 naive Treg compartment, suggesting subtle phenotypic shifts.

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