cancer development like gastric cancer through influencing Treg cell activity and secretion of immunomodulatory cytokines such as IL-10, IL-35, and TGF-β. In one experiment a 15-mer synthetic peptide, P60, was able to inhibit Foxp3's ability to function. P60 did this by entering the cells and then binding to Foxp3, where it hinders Foxp3's ability to translocate to the nucleus. Due to this, Foxp3 could no longer properly suppress the transcription factors NF-kB and NFAT; both of which are protein complexes that regulate transcription of DNA, cytokine production and cell survival. This would inhibit a cell's ability to perform apoptosis and stop its own cell cycle, which could potentially allow an affected cancerous cell to survive and reproduce. Autoimmune Mutations or disruptions of the Foxp3 regulatory pathway can lead to organ-specific autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune thyroiditis and type 1 diabetes mellitus. These mutations affect thymocytes developing within the thymus. Regulated by Foxp3, it's these thymocytes that during thymopoiesis, are transformed into mature Treg cells by the thymus. It was found that patients who have the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) possess Foxp3 mutations that affect the thymopoiesis process, preventing the proper development of Treg cells within the thymus. These malfunctioning Treg cells aren’t efficiently being regulated by its transcription factors, which cause them to attack cells that are healthy, leading to these organ-specific autoimmune diseases. Another way that Foxp3 helps keep the autoimmune system at homeostasis is through its regulation of the expression of suppression-mediating molecules. For instance, Foxp3 is able to facilitate the translocation of extracellular adenosine into the cytoplasm. It does this by recruiting CD39, a rate-limiting enzyme that's vital in tumor suppression to hydrolyze ATP to ADP in order to regulate immunosuppression on different cell populations. See also Autoimmune regulator (AIRE) Autoimmunity Central tolerance Immunity IPEX syndrome Lymphocytes Thymocyte References Further reading External links GeneReviews/NIH/NCBI/UW entry on IPEX Syndrome Forkhead transcription factors