What are the functions of a suppressor T cell?
Suppressor T cells, along with cytotoxic T cells and helper T cells, are part of your body’s immune system responsible for helping you stay healthy.BackgroundT cells (also called T lymphocytes) are white blood cells that protect your body from infectious disease, cancer and foreign substances.Immune ResponseHelper T cells circulate in the body looking for diseased or infected cells. When the helper T cells find diseased or infected cells, the helper T cells call the cytotoxic T cells. The cytotoxic T cells kill the diseased or infected cells.Suppressor T CellsThe function of suppressor T cells is to tell the immune system when diseased or infected cells are gone and the cytotoxic T cells are no longer needed.ConsiderationsAlthough suppressor T cells are not well understood, many researchers believe a dysfunction of suppressor T cells are a factor in autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and lupus) in which the body attacks and kills healthy cells.CancerA
