{
  "abstract": "Regulatory T cells (Tregs) adapt to inflammatory environments while preserving Foxp3-dependent suppressive identity. In type 1 inflammation, Tregs can upregulate T-bet, but whether T-bet Tregs represent a stable regulatory subset or exhibit plasticity toward an effector-like state remains incompletely understood. To probe the positioning and interactions of T-bet Tregs during type 1 inflammation, we performed live lymph node section microscopy in T-bet-ZsGreen Foxp3-RFP dual-reporter mice during a subcutaneous complete Freunds adjuvant (CFA) challenge. T-bet Tregs accumulated rapidly in the draining lymph nodes within 24 hours, coincident with the appearance of T-bet dendritic cells (DCs) and Th1-like CD4 T cells. Analysis of lymph node sections revealed that T-bet Tregs were incorporated into Th1-DC contact networks, displaying increased contact frequency and contact volume compared with T-bet- Tregs. In parallel, flow cytometric analysis of the immune response showed that T-bet Tregs maintained a stable regulatory profile distinct from T-bet effector T cells, with retained high expression of Foxp3 and regulatory-associated surface molecules including FR4, CD25, Nrp-1, CD39, and GARP. They also expressed elevated adhesion and activation-associated molecules, including LFA-1, ICOS, PD-1, CD44, and CD103 compared with T-bet- Tregs, and were enriched for CD103 cells across the inflammatory time course. Adoptive transfer studies further showed that pre-existing T-bet expression enhanced recovery of antigen-specific Tregs from CFA-draining lymph nodes in a context-dependent manner, whereas T-bet expression did not confer a unique advantage in canonical in vitro suppression of Th1 proliferation. Together, these findings identify T-bet Tregs as a contact-capable regulatory subset embedded within early Th1-DC networks during the priming phase of type 1 inflammation rather than a destabilized or effector-converted Treg population.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "The Ohio State University"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "A. H. Priddy"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. P. Maz"
    },
    {
      "name": "O. Kamenyeva"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Kabat"
    },
    {
      "name": "E. M. Shevach"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "M. Akkaya"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "B. Akkaya"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/55d9axgsj8tzx.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.10.05.756696",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756696v1.full",
  "id": "55d9axgsj8tzx",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756696v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "immunology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2403|T-cell and B-cell Immunology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221574714",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756696v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-05",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/55d9axgsj8tzx.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:27:23Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.10.05.756696",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756696v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:immunology",
      "subfield": "immunology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "T-bet marks contact-capable regulatory T cells embedded within Th1-dendritic cell networks in skin-draining lymph nodes",
  "title_text": "T-bet marks contact-capable regulatory T cells embedded within Th1-dendritic cell networks in skin-draining lymph nodes",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:27:23Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/55d9axgsj8tzx",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}