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Ku CJ, Lim KC, Kalantry S, Maillard I, Engel JD, Hosoya T. A monoallelic-to-biallelic T-cell transcriptional switch regulates GATA3 abundance. Genes Dev 2015; 29:1930-41. [PMID: 26385963 PMCID: PMC4579350 DOI: 10.1101/gad.265025.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Ku et al. show that loss of one Gata3 allele leads to diminished expansion of immature T cells as well as aberrant induction of myeloid transcription factor PU.1. Gata3 is monoallelically expressed in hematopoietic stem cells and early T-cell progenitors. Half of the developing cells switch to biallelic Gata3 transcription abruptly at midthymopoiesis. Protein abundance must be precisely regulated throughout life, and nowhere is the stringency of this requirement more evident than during T-cell development: A twofold increase in the abundance of transcription factor GATA3 results in thymic lymphoma, while reduced GATA3 leads to diminished T-cell production. GATA3 haploinsufficiency also causes human HDR (hypoparathyroidism, deafness, and renal dysplasia) syndrome, often accompanied by immunodeficiency. Here we show that loss of one Gata3 allele leads to diminished expansion (and compromised development) of immature T cells as well as aberrant induction of myeloid transcription factor PU.1. This effect is at least in part mediated transcriptionally: We discovered that Gata3 is monoallelically expressed in a parent of origin-independent manner in hematopoietic stem cells and early T-cell progenitors. Curiously, half of the developing cells switch to biallelic Gata3 transcription abruptly at midthymopoiesis. We show that the monoallelic-to-biallelic transcriptional switch is stably maintained and therefore is not a stochastic phenomenon. This unique mechanism, if adopted by other regulatory genes, may provide new biological insights into the rather prevalent phenomenon of monoallelic expression of autosomal genes as well as into the variably penetrant pathophysiological spectrum of phenotypes observed in many human syndromes that are due to haploinsufficiency of the affected gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Jui Ku
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Kim-Chew Lim
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Sundeep Kalantry
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Ivan Maillard
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA; Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA; Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - James Douglas Engel
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Tomonori Hosoya
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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Rothenberg EV, Ungerbäck J, Champhekar A. Forging T-Lymphocyte Identity: Intersecting Networks of Transcriptional Control. Adv Immunol 2015; 129:109-74. [PMID: 26791859 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ai.2015.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
T-lymphocyte development branches off from other lymphoid developmental programs through its requirement for sustained environmental signals through the Notch pathway. In the thymus, Notch signaling induces a succession of T-lineage regulatory factors that collectively create the T-cell identity through distinct steps. This process involves both the staged activation of T-cell identity genes and the staged repression of progenitor-cell-inherited regulatory genes once their roles in self-renewal and population expansion are no longer needed. With the recent characterization of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) that share transcriptional regulation programs extensively with T-cell subsets, T-cell identity can increasingly be seen as defined in modular terms, as the processes selecting and actuating effector function are potentially detachable from the processes generating and selecting clonally unique T-cell receptor structures. The developmental pathways of different classes of T cells and ILCs are distinguished by the numbers of prerequisites of gene rearrangement, selection, and antigen contact before the cells gain access to nearly common regulatory mechanisms for choosing effector function. Here, the major classes of transcription factors that interact with Notch signals during T-lineage specification are discussed in terms of their roles in these programs, the evidence for their spectra of target genes at different stages, and their cross-regulatory and cooperative actions with each other. Specific topics include Notch modulation of PU.1 and GATA-3, PU.1-Notch competition, the relationship between PU.1 and GATA-3, and the roles of E proteins, Bcl11b, and GATA-3 in guiding acquisition of T-cell identity while avoiding redirection to an ILC fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen V Rothenberg
- Division of Biology & Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA.
| | - Jonas Ungerbäck
- Division of Biology & Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA; Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Experimental Hematopoiesis Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Ameya Champhekar
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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53
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Ellmeier W. Molecular control of CD4+ T cell lineage plasticity and integrity. Int Immunopharmacol 2015; 28:813-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2015.03.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/28/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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54
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Abstract
The lymphocyte family has expanded significantly in recent years to include not only the adaptive lymphocytes (T cells, B cells) and NK cells, but also several additional innate lymphoid cell (ILC) types. ILCs lack clonally distributed antigen receptors characteristic of adaptive lymphocytes and instead respond exclusively to signaling via germline-encoded receptors. ILCs resemble T cells more closely than any other leukocyte lineage at the transcriptome level and express many elements of the core T cell transcriptional program, including Notch, Gata3, Tcf7, and Bcl11b. We present our current understanding of the shared and distinct transcriptional regulatory mechanisms involved in the development of adaptive T lymphocytes and closely related ILCs. We discuss the possibility that a core set of transcriptional regulators common to ILCs and T cells establish enhancers that enable implementation of closely aligned effector pathways. Studies of the transcriptional regulation of lymphopoiesis will support the development of novel therapeutic approaches to correct early lymphoid developmental defects and aberrant lymphocyte function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Elena De Obaldia
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
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55
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A Zap70-dependent feedback circuit is essential for efficient selection of CD4 lineage thymocytes. Immunol Cell Biol 2015; 93:406-16. [PMID: 25601273 DOI: 10.1038/icb.2014.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2014] [Revised: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 10/29/2014] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
During positive selection of CD4(+), CD8(+) double positive (DP) thymocytes, expression of the tyrosine kinase Zap70 is subject to developmental regulation. Signalling downstream of T-cell receptor (TCR) induces Zap70 expression, forming a positive feedback circuit. Although previous studies show this circuit is required for generation of CD8 lineage cells, it is not known whether selection of CD4 T cells also depends on intact developmental regulation of Zap70. To address this, we analysed development of Class II-restricted thymocytes in mice lacking the Zap70 transcriptional circuitry. Rescue of Zap70 expression in Zap70(-/-) mice using a tetracycline-inducible Zap70 transgene, that is not subject to positive feedback by TCR signalling, restored positive selection of Class-II-restricted thymocytes. However, in conditions of static Zap70 expression, approximately half of selecting thymocytes failed to commit normally to the CD4 lineage. Instead, cells that failed to develop into CD4 T cells resembled CD8 lineage precursor DP thymocytes but failed to survive in vivo. Therefore, the Zap70 feedback circuit is essential to efficiently mediate the CD4 lineage differentiation programme in response to Class II selecting ligands.
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56
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Fbw7 targets GATA3 through cyclin-dependent kinase 2-dependent proteolysis and contributes to regulation of T-cell development. Mol Cell Biol 2014; 34:2732-44. [PMID: 24820417 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.01549-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Proper development of T cells depends on lineage-specific regulators controlled transcriptionally and posttranslationally to ensure precise levels at appropriate times. Conditional inactivation of F-box protein Fbw7 in mouse T-cell development resulted in reduced thymic CD4 single-positive (SP) and splenic CD4(+) and CD8(+) cell proportions. Fbw7 deficiency skewed CD8 SP lineage differentiation, which exhibited a higher incidence of apoptosis. Similar perturbations during development of CD8-positive cells were reported with transgenic mice, which enforced GATA3 (T-cell differentiation regulator) expression throughout T-cell development. We observed augmented GATA3 in CD4/CD8 double negative (DN) stage 4, CD4 SP, and CD8 SP lineages in Fbw7-deficient thymocytes. Using overexpressed proteins in cultured cells, we demonstrated that Fbw7 bound to, ubiquitylated, and destabilized GATA3. Two Cdc4 phosphodegron (CPD) candidate sequences, consensus Fbw7 recognition domains, were identified in GATA3, and phosphorylation of Thr-156 in CPD was required for Fbw7-mediated ubiquitylation and degradation. Phosphorylation of GATA3 Thr-156 was detected in mouse thymocytes, and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) was identified as a respondent for phosphorylation at Thr-156. These observations suggest that Fbw7-mediated GATA3 regulation with CDK2-mediated phosphorylation of CPD contributes to the precise differentiation of T-cell lineages.
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57
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Tindemans I, Serafini N, Di Santo JP, Hendriks RW. GATA-3 function in innate and adaptive immunity. Immunity 2014; 41:191-206. [PMID: 25148023 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2014.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Accepted: 06/19/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The zinc-finger transcription factor GATA-3 has received much attention as a master regulator of T helper 2 (Th2) cell differentiation, during which it controls interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, and IL-13 expression. More recently, GATA-3 was shown to contribute to type 2 immunity through regulation of group 2 innate lymphoid cell (ILC2) development and function. Furthermore, during thymopoiesis, GATA-3 represses B cell potential in early T cell precursors, activates TCR signaling in pre-T cells, and promotes the CD4(+) T cell lineage after positive selection. GATA-3 also functions outside the thymus in hematopoietic stem cells, regulatory T cells, CD8(+) T cells, thymic natural killer cells, and ILC precursors. Here we discuss the varied functions of GATA-3 in innate and adaptive immune cells, with emphasis on its activity in T cells and ILCs, and examine the mechanistic basis for the dose-dependent, developmental-stage- and cell-lineage-specific activity of this transcription factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irma Tindemans
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Erasmus MC, 3000 CA Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Nicolas Serafini
- Innate Immunity Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris, France; INSERM U668, 75724 Paris, France
| | - James P Di Santo
- Innate Immunity Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris, France; INSERM U668, 75724 Paris, France
| | - Rudi W Hendriks
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Erasmus MC, 3000 CA Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
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Scripture-Adams DD, Damle SS, Li L, Elihu KJ, Qin S, Arias AM, Butler RR, Champhekar A, Zhang JA, Rothenberg EV. GATA-3 dose-dependent checkpoints in early T cell commitment. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2014; 193:3470-91. [PMID: 25172496 PMCID: PMC4170028 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1301663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
GATA-3 expression is crucial for T cell development and peaks during commitment to the T cell lineage, midway through the CD4(-)CD8(-) (double-negative [DN]) stages 1-3. We used RNA interference and conditional deletion to reduce GATA-3 protein acutely at specific points during T cell differentiation in vitro. Even moderate GATA-3 reduction killed DN1 cells, delayed progression to the DN2 stage, skewed DN2 gene regulation, and blocked appearance of the DN3 phenotype. Although a Bcl-2 transgene rescued DN1 survival and improved DN2 cell generation, it did not restore DN3 differentiation. Gene expression analyses (quantitative PCR, RNA sequencing) showed that GATA-3-deficient DN2 cells quickly upregulated genes, including Spi1 (PU.1) and Bcl11a, and downregulated genes, including Cpa3, Ets1, Zfpm1, Bcl11b, Il9r, and Il17rb with gene-specific kinetics and dose dependencies. These targets could mediate two distinct roles played by GATA-3 in lineage commitment, as revealed by removing wild-type or GATA-3-deficient early T lineage cells from environmental Notch signals. GATA-3 worked as a potent repressor of B cell potential even at low expression levels, so that only full deletion of GATA-3 enabled pro-T cells to reveal B cell potential. The ability of GATA-3 to block B cell development did not require T lineage commitment factor Bcl11b. In prethymic multipotent precursors, however, titration of GATA-3 activity using tamoxifen-inducible GATA-3 showed that GATA-3 inhibits B and myeloid developmental alternatives at different threshold doses. Furthermore, differential impacts of a GATA-3 obligate repressor construct imply that B and myeloid development are inhibited through distinct transcriptional mechanisms. Thus, the pattern of GATA-3 expression sequentially produces B lineage exclusion, T lineage progression, and myeloid-lineage exclusion for commitment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deirdre D Scripture-Adams
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Sagar S Damle
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Long Li
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Koorosh J Elihu
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Shuyang Qin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Alexandra M Arias
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Robert R Butler
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Ameya Champhekar
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Jingli A Zhang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Ellen V Rothenberg
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
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59
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Twu YC, Teh HS. The ThPOK transcription factor differentially affects the development and function of self-specific CD8(+) T cells and regulatory CD4(+) T cells. Immunology 2014; 141:431-45. [PMID: 24708418 DOI: 10.1111/imm.12205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2013] [Revised: 10/23/2013] [Accepted: 10/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The zinc finger transcription factor ThPOK plays a crucial role in CD4 T-cell development and CD4/CD8 lineage decision. In ThPOK-deficient mice, developing T cells expressing MHC class II-restricted T-cell receptors are redirected into the CD8 T-cell lineage. In this study, we investigated whether the ThPOK transgene affected the development and function of two additional types of T cells, namely self-specific CD8 T cells and CD4(+) FoxP3(+) T regulatory cells. Self-specific CD8 T cells are characterized by high expression of CD44, CD122, Ly6C, 1B11 and proliferation in response to either IL-2 or IL-15. The ThPOK transgene converted these self-specific CD8 T cells into CD4 T cells. The converted CD4(+) T cells are no longer self-reactive, lose the characteristics of self-specific CD8 T cells, acquire the properties of conventional CD4 T cells and survive poorly in peripheral lymphoid organs. By contrast, the ThPOK transgene promoted the development of CD4(+) FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells resulting in an increased recovery of CD4(+) FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells that expressed higher transforming growth factor-β-dependent suppressor activity. These studies indicate that the ThPOK transcription factor differentially affects the development and function of self-specific CD8 T cells and CD4(+) FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuh-Ching Twu
- Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
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60
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Hebel K, Weinert S, Kuropka B, Knolle J, Kosak B, Jorch G, Arens C, Krause E, Braun-Dullaeus RC, Brunner-Weinzierl MC. CD4+ T cells from human neonates and infants are poised spontaneously to run a nonclassical IL-4 program. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2014; 192:5160-70. [PMID: 24778440 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1302539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Senescence or biological aging impacts a vast variety of molecular and cellular processes. To date, it is unknown whether CD4(+) Th cells display an age-dependent bias for development into specific subpopulations. In this study, we show the appearance of a distinct CD4(+) T cell subset expressing IL-4 at an early stage of development in infant adenoids and cord blood that is lost during aging. We identified by flow cytometric, fluorescent microscopic, immunoblot, and mass spectrometric analysis a population of CD4(+) T cells that expressed an unglycosylated isoform of IL-4. This T cell subpopulation was found in neonatal but not in adult CD4(+) T cells. Furthermore, we show that the mRNA of the Th2 master transcription factor GATA3 is preferentially expressed in neonatal CD4(+) T cells. The Th2 phenotype of the IL-4(+)CD4(+) T cells could be reinforced in the presence of TGF-β. Although the IL-4(+)CD4(+) T cells most likely originate from CD31(+)CD4(+) T recent thymic emigrants, CD31 was downregulated prior to secretion of IL-4. Notably, the secretion of IL-4 requires a so far unidentified trigger in neonatal T cells. This emphasizes that cytokine expression and secretion are differentially regulated processes. Our data support the hypothesis of an endogenously poised cytokine profile in neonates and suggest a link between cytokine production and the developmental stage of an organism. The determination of the IL-4 isoform-expressing cells in humans might allow the identification of Th2 precursor cells, which could provide novel intervention strategies directed against Th2-driven immunopathologies such as allergies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Hebel
- Department of Experimental Pediatrics, University Hospital, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Soenke Weinert
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Benno Kuropka
- Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, 13125 Berlin, Germany; and
| | - Julienne Knolle
- Department of Experimental Pediatrics, University Hospital, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Bernhard Kosak
- Department of Experimental Pediatrics, University Hospital, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Jorch
- Department of Experimental Pediatrics, University Hospital, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Arens
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Eberhard Krause
- Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, 13125 Berlin, Germany; and
| | - Ruediger C Braun-Dullaeus
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Monika C Brunner-Weinzierl
- Department of Experimental Pediatrics, University Hospital, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany;
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61
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Wan YY. GATA3: a master of many trades in immune regulation. Trends Immunol 2014; 35:233-42. [PMID: 24786134 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2014.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Revised: 03/28/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
GATA3 has conventionally been regarded as a transcription factor that drives the differentiation of T helper (Th) 2 cells. Increasing evidence points to a function for GATA3 beyond controlling Th2 differentiation. GATA3 regulates T cell development, proliferation, and maintenance. Furthermore, recent studies have demonstrated important roles for GATA3 in innate lymphoid cells. Thus, GATA3 emerges as a factor with diverse functions in immune regulation, which are in some cases cell-type specific and in others shared by multiple cell types. Here, I discuss recent discoveries and the current understanding of the functions of GATA3 in immune regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yisong Y Wan
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 450 West Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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62
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Sinclair C, Seddon B. Overlapping and asymmetric functions of TCR signaling during thymic selection of CD4 and CD8 lineages. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2014; 192:5151-9. [PMID: 24771853 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1303085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
TCR signaling plays a central role in directing developmental fates of thymocytes. Current models suggest TCR signal duration directs CD4 versus CD8 lineage development. To investigate the role of TCR signaling during positive selection directly, we switched signaling off in a cohort of selecting thymocytes and followed, in time, their subsequent fate. We did this using an inducible Zap70 transgenic mouse model that allowed Zap70-dependent signaling to be turned on and then off again. Surprisingly, loss of TCR signaling in CD4(+)CD8(lo) thymocytes did not prevent their development into committed CD4 single positives (SPs), nor their continued maturation to HSA(lo) SPs. However, numbers of CD4 SPs underwent a substantial decline following loss of Zap70 expression, suggesting an essential survival role for the kinase. Termination of TCR signaling is considered an essential step in CD8 lineage development. Loss of Zap70 expression, however, resulted in the rapid death of CD8 lineage precursor thymocytes and a failure to generate CD8 SPs. Significantly, extending the window of Zap70 expression was sufficient for generation and export of both CD4 and CD8 T cells. These data reveal a parallel requirement for TCR-mediated survival signaling, but an asymmetric requirement for TCR-mediated maturation signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Sinclair
- Division of Immune Cell Biology, Medical Research Council National Institute for Medical Research, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
| | - Benedict Seddon
- Division of Immune Cell Biology, Medical Research Council National Institute for Medical Research, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
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63
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Abstract
During thymic development, thymocytes expressing a T cell receptor consisting of an alpha and beta chain (TCRαβ), commit to either the cytotoxic- or T helper-lineage fate. This lineage dichotomy is controlled by key transcription factors, including the T helper (Th) lineage master regulator, the Th-inducing BTB/POZ domain-containing Kruppel-like zinc-finger transcription factor, ThPOK, (formally cKrox or Zfp67; encoded by Zbtb7b), which suppresses the cytolytic program in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-restricted CD4(+) thymocytes and the Runt related transcription factor 3 (Runx3), which counteracts ThPOK in MHC class I restricted precursor cells and promotes the lineage commitment of CD8αβ(+) cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL). ThPOK continues to repress the CTL gene program in mature CD4(+) T cells, even as they differentiate into effector Th cell subsets. The Th cell fate however is not fixed and two recent studies showed that mature, antigen-stimulated CD4(+) T cells have the flexibility to terminate the expression of ThPOK and functionally reprogram to cytotoxic effector cells. This unexpected plasticity of CD4(+) T cells results in the post-thymic termination of the Th lineage fate and the functional differentiation of distinct MHC class II-restricted CD4(+) CTL. The recognition of CD4 CTL as a defined separate subset of effector cells and the identification of the mechanisms and factors that drive their reprogramming finally create new opportunities to explore the physiological relevance of these effector cells in vivo and to determine their pivotal roles in both, protective immunity as well as in immune-related pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilde Cheroutre
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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64
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Nazarov C, Lo Surdo J, Bauer SR, Wei CH. Assessment of immunosuppressive activity of human mesenchymal stem cells using murine antigen specific CD4 and CD8 T cells in vitro. Stem Cell Res Ther 2013; 4:128. [PMID: 24406271 PMCID: PMC3854780 DOI: 10.1186/scrt339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2013] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have immunosuppressive activity. They do not induce allospecific T cell responses, making them promising tools for reducing the severity of graft versus host disease (GVHD) as well as treating various immune diseases. Currently, there is a need in the MSC field to develop a robust in vitro bioassay which can characterize the immunosuppressive function of MSCs. Methods Murine clonal CD4 and CD8 T cells were stimulated with cognate peptide antigen and antigen presenting cells (APCs) in the absence or presence of human MSCs, different aspects of T cell activation were monitored and analyzed using flow cytometery, real time RT-PCR and cytokine measurement. Results Human MSCs (hMSCs) can alter multiple aspects of murine T cell activation induced by stimulation with specific antigen, including: reduced proliferation, inhibited or stimulated cell surface marker expression (CD25, CD69, CD44 and CD62L), inhibited mRNA expression of transcription factors (T-bet and GATA-3) and decreased cytokine expression (interferon-gamma, interleukin-10). Disappearance of activation-induced cluster formation and decreased apoptosis of CD8 T cells were also observed. Moreover, the effects are specific to MSCs; incubating the T cells with non-MSC control cell lines had no effect on T cell proliferation and activation. Conclusions Clonal murine T cells can be used to measure, characterize, and quantify the in vitro immunosuppressive activity of human MSCs, representing a promising approach to improve bioassays for immunosuppression.
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65
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Oliver JA, Lapinski PE, Lubeck BA, Turner JS, Parada LF, Zhu Y, King PD. The Ras GTPase-activating protein neurofibromin 1 promotes the positive selection of thymocytes. Mol Immunol 2013; 55:292-302. [PMID: 23522726 PMCID: PMC3646930 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2013.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2012] [Revised: 02/27/2013] [Accepted: 03/04/2013] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
TCR-mediated activation of the Ras signaling pathway is critical for T cell development in the thymus and function in the periphery. However, which members of a family of Ras GTPase-activating proteins (RasGAPs) negatively regulate Ras activation in T cells is unknown. In this study we examined a potential function for the neurofibromin 1 (NF1) RasGAP in the T cell lineage with the use of T cell-specific NF1-deficient mice. Surprisingly, on an MHC class I-restricted TCR transgenic background, NF1 was found to promote thymocyte positive selection. By contrast, NF1 neither promoted nor inhibited the negative selection of thymocytes. In the periphery, NF1 was found to be necessary for the maintenance of normal numbers of naïve CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells but was dispensable as a regulator of TCR-induced Ras activation, cytokine synthesis, proliferation and differentiation and death. These findings point to a novel unexpected role for NF1 in T cell development as well as a regulator of T cell homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A. Oliver
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Philip E. Lapinski
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Beth A. Lubeck
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jackson S. Turner
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Luis F. Parada
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Yuan Zhu
- Division of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Philip D. King
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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66
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Sinclair C, Bains I, Yates AJ, Seddon B. Asymmetric thymocyte death underlies the CD4:CD8 T-cell ratio in the adaptive immune system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:E2905-14. [PMID: 23858460 PMCID: PMC3732981 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1304859110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
It has long been recognized that the T-cell compartment has more CD4 helper than CD8 cytotoxic T cells, and this is most evident looking at T-cell development in the thymus. However, it remains unknown how thymocyte development so favors CD4 lineage development. To identify the basis of this asymmetry, we analyzed development of synchronized cohorts of thymocytes in vivo and estimated rates of thymocyte death and differentiation throughout development, inferring lineage-specific efficiencies of selection. Our analysis suggested that roughly equal numbers of cells of each lineage enter selection and found that, overall, a remarkable ∼75% of cells that start selection fail to complete the process. Importantly it revealed that class I-restricted thymocytes are specifically susceptible to apoptosis at the earliest stage of selection. The importance of differential apoptosis was confirmed by placing thymocytes under apoptotic stress, resulting in preferential death of class I-restricted thymocytes. Thus, asymmetric death during selection is the key determinant of the CD4:CD8 ratio in which T cells are generated by thymopoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Sinclair
- Division of Immune Cell Biology, Medical Research Council National Institute for Medical Research, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom; and
| | - Iren Bains
- Division of Immune Cell Biology, Medical Research Council National Institute for Medical Research, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom; and
| | - Andrew J. Yates
- Departments of Systems and Computational Biology and
- Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461
| | - Benedict Seddon
- Division of Immune Cell Biology, Medical Research Council National Institute for Medical Research, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom; and
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67
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Wang Y, Misumi I, Gu AD, Curtis TA, Su L, Whitmire JK, Wan YY. GATA-3 controls the maintenance and proliferation of T cells downstream of TCR and cytokine signaling. Nat Immunol 2013; 14:714-22. [PMID: 23708251 PMCID: PMC3688666 DOI: 10.1038/ni.2623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2012] [Accepted: 04/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
GATA-3 controls T helper type 2 (TH2) differentiation. However, whether GATA-3 regulates the function of mature T cells beyond TH2 determination remains poorly understood. We found that signaling via the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) and cytokine stimulation promoted GATA-3 expression in CD8(+) T cells, which controlled cell proliferation. Although GATA-3-deficient CD8(+) T cells were generated, their peripheral maintenance was impaired, with lower expression of the receptor for interleukin 7 (IL-7R). GATA-3-deficient T cells had defective responses to viral infection and alloantigen. The proto-oncoprotein c-Myc was a critical target of GATA-3 in promoting T cell proliferation. Our study thus demonstrates an essential role for GATA-3 in controlling the maintenance and proliferation of T cells and provides insight into immunoregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunqi Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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68
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Mucida D, Husain MM, Muroi S, van Wijk F, Shinnakasu R, Naoe Y, Reis BS, Huang Y, Lambolez F, Docherty M, Attinger A, Shui JW, Kim G, Lena CJ, Sakaguchi S, Miyamoto C, Wang P, Atarashi K, Park Y, Nakayama T, Honda K, Ellmeier W, Kronenberg M, Taniuchi I, Cheroutre H. Transcriptional reprogramming of mature CD4⁺ helper T cells generates distinct MHC class II-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Nat Immunol 2013; 14:281-9. [PMID: 23334788 PMCID: PMC3581083 DOI: 10.1038/ni.2523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 264] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2012] [Accepted: 12/14/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
TCRαβ thymocytes differentiate into either CD8αβ(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes or CD4(+) helper T cells. This functional dichotomy is controlled by key transcription factors, including the helper T cell master regulator ThPOK, which suppresses the cytolytic program in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-restricted CD4(+) thymocytes. ThPOK continues to repress genes of the CD8 lineage in mature CD4(+) T cells, even as they differentiate into effector helper T cell subsets. Here we found that the helper T cell fate was not fixed and that mature, antigen-stimulated CD4(+) T cells terminated expression of the gene encoding ThPOK and reactivated genes of the CD8 lineage. This unexpected plasticity resulted in the post-thymic termination of the helper T cell program and the functional differentiation of distinct MHC class II-restricted CD4(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Mucida
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Mohammad Mushtaq Husain
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Sawako Muroi
- Laboratory for Transcriptional Regulation, RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Femke van Wijk
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ryo Shinnakasu
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Yoshinori Naoe
- Laboratory for Transcriptional Regulation, RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | | | - Yujun Huang
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Florence Lambolez
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Michael Docherty
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Antoine Attinger
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jr-Wen Shui
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Gisen Kim
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Christopher J. Lena
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Shinya Sakaguchi
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Physiology, Pathophysiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna Lazarettgasse 19A -1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Chizuko Miyamoto
- Laboratory for Transcriptional Regulation, RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Peng Wang
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | - Yunji Park
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Toshinori Nakayama
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan
| | | | - Wilfried Ellmeier
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Physiology, Pathophysiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna Lazarettgasse 19A -1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mitchell Kronenberg
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ichiro Taniuchi
- Laboratory for Transcriptional Regulation, RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hilde Cheroutre
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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69
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Xiong Y, Castro E, Yagi R, Zhu J, Lesourne R, Love PE, Feigenbaum L, Bosselut R. Thpok-independent repression of Runx3 by Gata3 during CD4+ T-cell differentiation in the thymus. Eur J Immunol 2013; 43:918-28. [PMID: 23310955 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201242944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2012] [Revised: 11/27/2012] [Accepted: 01/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
CD4(+) helper T cells are essential for immune responses and differentiate in the thymus from CD4(+) CD8(+) "double-positive" (DP) thymocytes. The transcription factor Runx3 inhibits CD4(+) T-cell differentiation by repressing Cd4 gene expression; accordingly, Runx3 is not expressed in DP thymocytes or developing CD4(+) T cells. The transcription factor Thpok is upregulated in CD4-differentiating thymocytes and required to repress Runx3. However, how Runx3 is controlled at early stages of CD4(+) T-cell differentiation, before the onset of Thpok expression, remains unknown. Here we show that Gata3, a transcription factor preferentially and transiently upregulated by CD4(+) T-cell precursors, represses Runx3 and binds the Runx3 locus in vivo. Accordingly, we show that high-level Gata3 expression and expression of Runx3 are mutually exclusive. Furthermore, whereas Runx3 represses Cd4, we show that Gata3 promotes Cd4 expression in Thpok-deficient thymocytes. Thus, in addition to its previously documented role in promoting CD4-lineage gene-expression, Gata3 represses CD8-lineage gene expression. These findings identify Gata3 as a critical pivot of CD4-CD8 lineage differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumei Xiong
- Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda 20892-4259, MD, USA
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70
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E2A transcription factors limit expression of Gata3 to facilitate T lymphocyte lineage commitment. Blood 2013; 121:1534-42. [PMID: 23297135 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2012-08-449447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The E2A transcription factors promote the development of thymus-seeding cells, but it remains unknown whether these proteins play a role in T lymphocyte lineage specification or commitment. Here, we showed that E2A proteins were required to promote T-lymphocyte commitment from DN2 thymocytes and to extinguish their potential for alternative fates. E2A proteins functioned in DN2 cells to limit expression of Gata3, which encodes an essential T-lymphocyte transcription factor whose ectopic expression can arrest T-cell differentiation. Genetic, or small interfering RNA-mediated, reduction of Gata3 rescued T-cell differentiation in the absence of E2A and restricted the development of alternative lineages by limiting the expanded self-renewal potential in E2A−/− DN2 cells. Our data support a novel paradigm in lymphocyte lineage commitment in which the E2A proteins are necessary to limit the expression of an essential lineage specification and commitment factor to restrain self-renewal and to prevent an arrest in differentiation.
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71
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Guo L, Chen C, Liang Q, Karim MZ, Gorska MM, Alam R. Nuclear translocation of MEK1 triggers a complex T cell response through the corepressor silencing mediator of retinoid and thyroid hormone receptor. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 190:159-67. [PMID: 23225884 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1201657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
MEK1 phosphorylates ERK1/2 and regulates T cell generation, differentiation, and function. MEK1 has recently been shown to translocate to the nucleus. Its nuclear function is largely unknown. By studying human CD4 T cells, we demonstrate that a low level of MEK1 is present in the nucleus of CD4 T cells under basal conditions. T cell activation further increases the nuclear translocation of MEK1. MEK1 interacts with the nuclear receptor corepressor silencing mediator of retinoid and thyroid hormone receptor (SMRT). MEK1 reduces the nuclear level of SMRT in an activation-dependent manner. MEK1 is recruited to the promoter of c-Fos upon TCR stimulation. Conversely, SMRT is bound to the c-Fos promoter under basal conditions and is removed upon TCR stimulation. We examined the role of SMRT in regulation of T cell function. Small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of SMRT results in a biphasic effect on cytokine production. The production of the cytokines IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-γ increases in the early phase (8 h) and then decreases in the late phase (48 h). The late-phase decrease is associated with inhibition of T cell proliferation. The late-phase inhibition of T cell activation is, in part, mediated by IL-10 that is produced in the early phase and, in part, by β-catenin signaling. Thus, we have identified a novel nuclear function of MEK1. MEK1 triggers a complex pattern of early T cell activation, followed by a late inhibition through its interaction with SMRT. This biphasic dual effect most likely reflects a homeostatic regulation of T cell function by MEK1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Guo
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
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72
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Carlin SM, Khoo MLM, Ma DD, Moore JJ. Notch signalling inhibits CD4 expression during initiation and differentiation of human T cell lineage. PLoS One 2012; 7:e45342. [PMID: 23071513 PMCID: PMC3470571 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2012] [Accepted: 08/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Delta/Notch signal transduction pathway is central to T cell differentiation from haemopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Although T cell development is well characterized using expression of cell surface markers, the detailed mechanisms driving differentiation have not been established. This issue becomes central with observations that adult HSCs exhibit poor differentiation towards the T cell lineage relative to neonatal or embryonic precursors. This study investigates the contribution of Notch signalling and stromal support cells to differentiation of adult and Cord Blood (CB) human HSCs, using the Notch signalling OP9Delta co-culture system. Co-cultured cells were assayed at weekly intervals during development for phenotype markers using flow cytometry. Cells were also assayed for mRNA expression at critical developmental stages. Expression of the central thymocyte marker CD4 was initiated independently of Notch signalling, while cells grown with Notch signalling had reduced expression of CD4 mRNA and protein. Interruption of Notch signalling in partially differentiated cells increased CD4 mRNA and protein expression, and promoted differentiation to CD4+ CD8+ T cells. We identified a set of genes related to T cell development that were initiated by Notch signalling, and also a set of genes subsequently altered by Notch signal interruption. These results demonstrate that while Notch signalling is essential for establishment of the T cell lineage, at later stages of differentiation, its removal late in differentiation promotes more efficient DP cell generation. Notch signalling adds to signals provided by stromal cells to allow HSCs to differentiate to T cells via initiation of transcription factors such as HES1, GATA3 and TCF7. We also identify gene expression profile differences that may account for low generation of T cells from adult HSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M. Carlin
- Blood Stem Cells and Cancer Research, St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Melissa L. M. Khoo
- Blood Stem Cells and Cancer Research, St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David D. Ma
- Blood Stem Cells and Cancer Research, St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Haematology Department, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - John J. Moore
- Haematology Department, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- * E-mail:
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73
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Dervovic DD, Ciofani M, Kianizad K, Zúñiga-Pflücker JC. Comparative and functional evaluation of in vitro generated to ex vivo CD8 T cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 189:3411-20. [PMID: 22925927 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1200979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The generation of the cytotoxic CD8 T cell response is dependent on the functional outcomes imposed by the intrathymic constraints of differentiation and self-tolerance. Although thymic function can be partly replicated in vitro using OP9-DL1 cell cultures to yield CD8 αβ TCR-bearing cells from hematopoietic progenitor cells, a comprehensive and functional assessment of entirely in vitro generated CD8 T cells derived from bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells has not been established and remains controversial. In this study, we demonstrate that a phenotypic, molecular, and functional signature of in vitro derived CD8 T cells is akin to that of ex vivo CD8 T cells, although several significant differences were also observed. Transfer of in vitro derived CD8 T cells into syngeneic and immunodeficient host mice showed no graft-versus-host response, whereas a robust homeostatic proliferation was observed, respectively. These findings, along with a diverse and broad TCR repertoire expressed by the in vitro derived CD8 T cells, allowed for the successful generation of Ag-specific T cells to be obtained from an entirely in vitro generated CD8 T cell pool. These findings support the use of Ag-specific in vitro derived effector CD8 T cells for immune reconstitution approaches, which would be amenable to further tailoring for their use against viral infections or malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dzana D Dervovic
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5, Canada
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74
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Belyaev NN, Biró J, Athanasakis D, Fernandez-Reyes D, Potocnik AJ. Global transcriptional analysis of primitive thymocytes reveals accelerated dynamics of T cell specification in fetal stages. Immunogenetics 2012; 64:591-604. [PMID: 22581009 PMCID: PMC3395349 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-012-0620-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2011] [Accepted: 04/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
T cell development constitutes a multistage process allowing the dissection of events resulting in cellular commitment and functional specification in a specialized microenvironment. This process is guided by the appropriate expression of regulatory genetic factors like transcriptional activators or repressors which are, in part, dependent on instructive signals of the microenvironment. To date, it remains unclear whether exactly the same genetic mechanism acts in adult compared to fetal T cell development. In order to directly compare T cell commitment during adult and fetal differentiation, we isolated subsequent stages of intrathymic subpopulations starting with early canonical T cell progenitors up to irreversibly committed T cell precursors. The genome-wide analysis revealed several distinct gene clusters with a specific pattern of gene regulation for each subset. The largest cluster contained genes upregulated after transition through the most primitive pool into the next transitory population with a consistently elevated expression of elements associated with ongoing T cell fate specification, like Gata3 and Tcf7, in fetal progenitors. Furthermore, adult and fetal T cell progenitors occupied distinct "transcriptional territories" revealing a precise land map of the progression to final T cell commitment operating in different developmental windows. The presence and/or elevated expression of elements associated with an ongoing establishment of a T cell signature in the most primitive fetal subset is highly suggestive for an extrathymic initiation of T cell specification and underlines the fundamental differences in fetal versus adult lymphopoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai N Belyaev
- Division of Molecular Immunology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London, UK
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75
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HEB in the spotlight: Transcriptional regulation of T-cell specification, commitment, and developmental plasticity. Clin Dev Immunol 2012; 2012:678705. [PMID: 22577461 PMCID: PMC3346973 DOI: 10.1155/2012/678705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2011] [Accepted: 12/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The development of T cells from multipotent progenitors in the thymus occurs by cascades of interactions between signaling molecules and transcription factors, resulting in the loss of alternative lineage potential and the acquisition of the T-cell functional identity. These processes require Notch signaling and the activity of GATA3, TCF1, Bcl11b, and the E-proteins HEB and E2A. We have shown that HEB factors are required to inhibit the thymic NK cell fate and that HEBAlt allows the passage of T-cell precursors from the DN to DP stage but is insufficient for suppression of the NK cell lineage choice. HEB factors are also required to enforce the death of cells that have not rearranged their TCR genes. The synergistic interactions between Notch1, HEBAlt, HEBCan, GATA3, and TCF1 are presented in a gene network model, and the influence of thymic stromal architecture on lineage choice in the thymus is discussed.
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76
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Xiong Y, Bosselut R. CD4-CD8 differentiation in the thymus: connecting circuits and building memories. Curr Opin Immunol 2012; 24:139-45. [PMID: 22387323 PMCID: PMC3773541 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2012.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2011] [Revised: 01/22/2012] [Accepted: 02/06/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The proper choice of the CD4-helper or CD8-cytotoxic lineages by developing T cells is crucial for the generation of an antigen-responsive and functionally fit T cell repertoire. Here we present a brief overview of the transcriptional control of this process, with emphasis on two issues. The study of Cd4 expression, that had previously generated important paradigms for transcriptional regulation in eukaryotic cells, now brings new twists to the concept of 'epigenetic memory'. And connections are emerging between transcriptional regulators critical for commitment to either lineage. The present review attempts to integrate these findings and discusses the still elusive mechanisms that match CD4-CD8 lineage differentiation to MHC specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumei Xiong
- Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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77
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Jones-Mason ME, Zhao X, Kappes D, Lasorella A, Iavarone A, Zhuang Y. E protein transcription factors are required for the development of CD4(+) lineage T cells. Immunity 2012; 36:348-61. [PMID: 22425249 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2012.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2011] [Revised: 01/13/2012] [Accepted: 02/22/2012] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The double-positive (DP) to single-positive (SP) transition during T cell development is initiated by downregulation of the E protein transcription factors HEB and E2A. Here, we have demonstrated that in addition to regulating the onset of this transition, HEB and E2A also play a separate role in CD4(+) lineage choice. Deletion of HEB and E2A in DP thymocytes specifically blocked the development of CD4(+) lineage T cells. Furthermore, deletion of the E protein inhibitors Id2 and Id3 allowed CD4(+) T cell development but blocked CD8(+) lineage development. Analysis of the CD4(+) lineage transcriptional regulators ThPOK and Gata3 placed HEB and E2A upstream of CD4(+) lineage specification. These studies identify an important role for E proteins in the activation of CD4(+) lineage differentiation as thymocytes undergo the DP to SP transition.
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78
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del Blanco B, García-Mariscal A, Wiest DL, Hernández-Munain C. Tcra enhancer activation by inducible transcription factors downstream of pre-TCR signaling. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 188:3278-93. [PMID: 22357628 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1100271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The Tcra enhancer (Eα) is essential for pre-TCR-mediated activation of germline transcription and V(D)J recombination. Eα is considered an archetypical enhanceosome that acts through the functional synergy and cooperative binding of multiple transcription factors. Based on dimethylsulfate genomic footprinting experiments, there has been a long-standing paradox regarding Eα activation in the absence of differences in enhancer occupancy. Our data provide the molecular mechanism of Eα activation and an explanation of this paradox. We found that germline transcriptional activation of Tcra is dependent on constant phospholipase Cγ, as well as calcineurin- and MAPK/ERK-mediated signaling, indicating that inducible transcription factors are crucially involved. NFAT, AP-1, and early growth response factor 1, together with CREB-binding protein/p300 coactivators, bind to Eα as part of an active enhanceosome assembled during pre-TCR signaling. We favor a scenario in which the binding of lymphoid-restricted and constitutive transcription factors to Eα prior to its activation forms a regulatory scaffold to recruit factors induced by pre-TCR signaling. Thus, the combinatorial assembly of tissue- and signal-specific transcription factors dictates the Eα function. This mechanism for enhancer activation may represent a general paradigm in tissue-restricted and stimulus-responsive gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz del Blanco
- Departamento de Biología Celular e Inmunología, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra (IPBLN-CSIC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 18100-Armilla, Granada, Spain
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79
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Abstract
Maintaining hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) quiescence is a critical property for the life-long generation of blood cells. Approximately 75% of cells in a highly enriched long-term repopulating HSC (LT-HSC) pool (Lin(-)Sca1(+)c-Kit(hi)CD150(+)CD48(-)) are quiescent, with only a small percentage of the LT-HSCs in cycle. Transcription factor GATA-3 is known to be vital for the development of T cells at multiple stages in the thymus and for Th2 differentiation in the peripheral organs. Although it is well documented that GATA-3 is expressed in HSCs, a role for GATA-3 in any prethymic progenitor cell has not been established. In the present study, we show that Gata3-null mutant mice generate fewer LT-HSCs and that fewer Gata3-null LT-HSCs are in cycle. Furthermore, Gata3 mutant hematopoietic progenitor cells fail to be recruited into an increased cycling state after 5-fluorouracil-induced myelosuppression. Therefore, GATA-3 is required for the maintenance of a normal number of LT-HSCs and for their entry into the cell cycle.
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80
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Rothenberg EV. Transcriptional drivers of the T-cell lineage program. Curr Opin Immunol 2012; 24:132-8. [PMID: 22264928 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2011.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2011] [Accepted: 12/31/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The T-cell development program is specifically triggered by Notch-Delta signaling, but most transcription factors needed to establish T-cell lineage identity also have crossover roles in other hematopoietic lineages. This factor sharing complicates full definition of the core gene regulatory circuits required for T-cell specification. But new advances illuminate the roles of three of the most T-cell specific transcription factors. Commitment to the T-cell lineage is now shown to depend on Bcl11b, while initiation of the T-cell differentiation program begins earlier with the induction of TCF-1 (Tcf7 gene product) and GATA-3. Several reports now reveal how TCF-1 and GATA-3 are mobilized in early T cells and the pathways for their T-lineage specific effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen V Rothenberg
- Division of Biology 156-29, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
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81
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Furmanski AL, Saldana JI, Rowbotham NJ, Ross SE, Crompton T. Role of Hedgehog signalling at the transition from double-positive to single-positive thymocyte. Eur J Immunol 2011; 42:489-99. [PMID: 22101858 PMCID: PMC3378705 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201141758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2011] [Revised: 10/12/2011] [Accepted: 11/09/2011] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
In the thymus, developing T cells receive signals that determine lineage choice, specificity, MHC restriction and tolerance to self-antigen. One way in which thymocytes receive instruction is by secretion of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) from thymic epithelial cells. We have previously shown that Hedgehog (Hh) signalling in the thymus decreases the CD4:CD8 single-positive (SP) thymocyte ratio. Here, we present data indicating that double-positive (DP) thymocytes are Hh-responsive and that thymocyte-intrinsic Hh signalling plays a role in modulating the production of CD4(+) (SP4), CD8(+) (SP8) and unconventional T-cell subsets. Repression of physiological Hh signalling in thymocytes altered the proportions of DP and SP4 cells. Thymocyte-intrinsic Hh-dependent transcription also attenuated both the production of mature SP4 and SP8 cells, and the establishment of peripheral T-cell compartments in TCR-transgenic mice. Additionally, stimulation or withdrawal of Hh signals in the WT foetal thymus impaired or enhanced upregulation of the CD4 lineage-specific transcription factor Gata3 respectively. These data together suggest that Hh signalling may play a role in influencing the later stages of thymocyte development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna L Furmanski
- Immunobiology Unit, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
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82
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Beaulieu AM, Sant'Angelo DB. The BTB-ZF family of transcription factors: key regulators of lineage commitment and effector function development in the immune system. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 187:2841-7. [PMID: 21900183 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1004006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Successful immunity depends upon the activity of multiple cell types. Commitment of pluripotent precursor cells to specific lineages, such as T or B cells, is obviously fundamental to this process. However, it is also becoming clear that continued differentiation and specialization of lymphoid cells is equally important for immune system integrity. Several members of the BTB-ZF family have emerged as critical factors that control development of specific lineages and also of specific effector subsets within these lineages. For example, BTB-ZF genes have been shown to control T cell versus B cell commitment and CD4 versus CD8 lineage commitment. Others, such as PLZF for NKT cells and Bcl-6 for T follicular helper cells, are necessary for the acquisition of effector functions. In this review, we summarize current findings concerning the BTB-ZF family members with a reported role in the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimee M Beaulieu
- Immunology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
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83
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Adoro S, McCaughtry T, Erman B, Alag A, Van Laethem F, Park JH, Tai X, Kimura M, Wang L, Grinberg A, Kubo M, Bosselut R, Love P, Singer A. Coreceptor gene imprinting governs thymocyte lineage fate. EMBO J 2011; 31:366-77. [PMID: 22036949 PMCID: PMC3261554 DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2011.388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2011] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Double-positive (CD4+CD8+) thymocytes differentiate into CD4+ helper T cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. A knock-in approach replacing CD8-coding sequences with CD4 cDNA shows that it is the expression kinetics of CD8, and not the identity of the coreceptor, that governs thymocyte-lineage fate. Immature thymocytes are bipotential cells that are signalled during positive selection to become either helper- or cytotoxic-lineage T cells. By tracking expression of lineage determining transcription factors during positive selection, we now report that the Cd8 coreceptor gene locus co-opts any coreceptor protein encoded within it to induce thymocytes to express the cytotoxic-lineage factor Runx3 and to adopt the cytotoxic-lineage fate, findings we refer to as ‘coreceptor gene imprinting'. Specifically, encoding CD4 proteins in the endogenous Cd8 gene locus caused major histocompatibility complex class II-specific thymocytes to express Runx3 during positive selection and to differentiate into CD4+ cytotoxic-lineage T cells. Our findings further indicate that coreceptor gene imprinting derives from the dynamic regulation of specific cis Cd8 gene enhancer elements by positive selection signals in the thymus. Thus, for coreceptor-dependent thymocytes, lineage fate is determined by Cd4 and Cd8 coreceptor gene loci and not by the specificity of T-cell antigen receptor/coreceptor signalling. This study identifies coreceptor gene imprinting as a critical determinant of lineage fate determination in the thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley Adoro
- Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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84
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Aliahmad P, Kadavallore A, de la Torre B, Kappes D, Kaye J. TOX is required for development of the CD4 T cell lineage gene program. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 187:5931-40. [PMID: 22021617 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1101474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The factors that regulate thymic development of the CD4(+) T cell gene program remain poorly defined. The transcriptional regulator ThPOK is a dominant factor in CD4(+) T cell development, which functions primarily to repress the CD8 lineage fate. Previously, we showed that nuclear protein TOX is also required for murine CD4(+) T cell development. In this study, we sought to investigate whether the requirement for TOX was solely due to a role in ThPOK induction. In apparent support of this proposition, ThPOK upregulation and CD8 lineage repression were compromised in the absence of TOX, and enforced ThPOK expression could restore some CD4 development. However, these "rescued" CD4 cells were defective in many aspects of the CD4(+) T cell gene program, including expression of Id2, Foxo1, and endogenous Thpok, among others. Thus, TOX is necessary to establish the CD4(+) T cell lineage gene program, independent of its influence on ThPOK expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parinaz Aliahmad
- Research Division of Immunology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
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85
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Wohlfert EA, Grainger JR, Bouladoux N, Konkel JE, Oldenhove G, Ribeiro CH, Hall JA, Yagi R, Naik S, Bhairavabhotla R, Paul WE, Bosselut R, Wei G, Zhao K, Oukka M, Zhu J, Belkaid Y. GATA3 controls Foxp3⁺ regulatory T cell fate during inflammation in mice. J Clin Invest 2011; 121:4503-15. [PMID: 21965331 DOI: 10.1172/jci57456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 419] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2011] [Accepted: 08/24/2011] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tregs not only keep immune responses to autoantigens in check, but also restrain those directed toward pathogens and the commensal microbiota. Control of peripheral immune homeostasis by Tregs relies on their capacity to accumulate at inflamed sites and appropriately adapt to their local environment. To date, the factors involved in the control of these aspects of Treg physiology remain poorly understood. Here, we show that the canonical Th2 transcription factor GATA3 is selectively expressed in Tregs residing in barrier sites including the gastrointestinal tract and the skin. GATA3 expression in both murine and human Tregs was induced upon TCR and IL-2 stimulation. Although GATA3 was not required to sustain Treg homeostasis and function at steady state, GATA3 played a cardinal role in Treg physiology during inflammation. Indeed, the intrinsic expression of GATA3 by Tregs was required for their ability to accumulate at inflamed sites and to maintain high levels of Foxp3 expression in various polarized or inflammatory settings. Furthermore, our data indicate that GATA3 limits Treg polarization toward an effector T cell phenotype and acquisition of effector cytokines in inflamed tissues. Overall, our work reveals what we believe to be a new facet in the complex role of GATA3 in T cells and highlights what may be a fundamental role in controlling Treg physiology during inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Wohlfert
- Mucosal Immunology Unit, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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86
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Lapinski PE, Qiao Y, Chang CH, King PD. A role for p120 RasGAP in thymocyte positive selection and survival of naive T cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 187:151-63. [PMID: 21646295 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1100178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Activation of the Ras small GTP-binding protein is necessary for normal T cell development and function. However, it is unknown which Ras GTPase-activating proteins (RasGAPs) inactivate Ras in T cells. We used a T cell-specific RASA1-deficient mouse model to investigate the role of the p120 RasGAP (RASA1) in T cells. Death of CD4(+)CD8(+) double-positive thymocytes was increased in RASA1-deficient mice. Despite this finding, on an MHC class II-restricted TCR transgenic background, evidence was obtained for increased positive selection of thymocytes associated with augmented activation of the Ras-MAPK pathway. In the periphery, RASA1 was found to be dispensable as a regulator of Ras-MAPK activation and T cell functional responses induced by full agonist peptides. However, numbers of naive T cells were substantially reduced in RASA1-deficient mice. Loss of naive T cells in the absence of RASA1 could be attributed in part to impaired responsiveness to the IL-7 prosurvival cytokine. These findings reveal an important role for RASA1 as a regulator of double-positive survival and positive selection in the thymus as well as naive T cell survival in the periphery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip E Lapinski
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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87
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Yagi R, Zhu J, Paul WE. An updated view on transcription factor GATA3-mediated regulation of Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation. Int Immunol 2011; 23:415-20. [PMID: 21632975 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxr029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
CD4 T(h) are critical for orchestrating adaptive immune responses. The expression of the transcription factor GATA3 (GATA-binding protein 3) is up-regulated or down-regulated during T(h)2 or T(h)1 cell differentiation, respectively. Furthermore, GATA3 is responsible for induction of T(h)2 differentiation and represses T(h)1 differentiation. In this review, we present an updated view on the molecular mechanisms through which GATA3 regulates T(h)1/T(h)2 differentiation. During T(h)2 cell differentiation, GATA3 directly binds to the T(h)2 cytokine gene locus at several regions and regulates expression. On the other hand, GATA3 inhibits T(h)1 cell differentiation by preventing up-regulation of IL-12 receptor β2 and STAT4 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 4) and neutralization of Runx3 (runt-related transcription factor 3) function through protein-protein interaction. GATA3 may also directly act on the Ifng gene. In summary, GATA3 serves as a transcriptional activator or repressor through direct action on transcriptional machinery and/or affecting chromatin remodeling at many critical loci encoding cytokines, cytokine receptors, signaling molecules as well as transcription factors that are involved in the regulation of T(h)1 and T(h)2 differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryoji Yagi
- Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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88
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Das R, Sant'Angelo DB, Nichols KE. Transcriptional control of invariant NKT cell development. Immunol Rev 2011; 238:195-215. [PMID: 20969594 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.2010.00962.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells comprise a rare lymphocyte sublineage with phenotypic and functional properties similar to T and NK cells. Akin to conventional αβ T cells, their development occurs primarily in the thymus, where they originate from CD4(+) CD8(+) double positive (DP) progenitors. However, the selection of iNKT cells is unique in that it is mediated by homotypic interactions of DP cells and recognition of glycolipid antigen-CD1d complexes. Additionally, iNKT cells acquire an activated innate-like phenotype during development that allows them to release cytokines rapidly following antigen exposure. Given their hybrid features, it is not surprising that the developmental program of iNKT cells partially overlaps with that of T and NK cells. Several recent reports have provided new and exciting insights into the developmental mechanisms that direct natural killer T (NKT) cell lineage commitment and maturation. In this review, we provide a discussion of the NKT cell developmental program with an emphasis on the signaling mechanisms and transcription factors that influence the ontogeny of this lineage. Continued investigations into the complex interplay of these transcription factors and their relationship with other extracellular and intracellular signaling molecules will undoubtedly provide important clues into the biology of this unusual T-cell lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rupali Das
- Division of Oncology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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89
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Abstract
The role of the zinc finger transcription factor ThPOK (T-helper-inducing POZ-Kruppel-like factor) in promoting commitment of αβ T cells to the CD4 lineage is now well established. New results indicate that ThPOK is also important for the development and/or acquisition of effector functions by other T cell subsets, including several not marked by CD4 expression, i.e. double-negative invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, γδ cells, and even memory CD8(+) T cells. There is compelling evidence that ThPOK expression in most or all of these cases is dependent on T-cell receptor signaling and that differences in relative TCR signal strength/length may induce different levels of ThPOK expression. The developmental consequences of ThPOK expression vary according to cell type, which may partly reflect differences in ThPOK levels and/or in transcriptional networks between cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dietmar J Kappes
- Institute for Cancer Research, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA.
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90
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Abstract
T-cell development from stem cells has provided a highly accessible and detailed view of the regulatory processes that can go into the choice of a cell fate in a postembryonic, stem cell-based system. But it has been a view from the outside. The problems in understanding the regulatory basis for this lineage choice begin with the fact that too many transcription factors are needed to provide crucial input: without any one of them, T-cell development fails. Furthermore, almost all the factors known to provide crucial functions during the climax of T-lineage commitment itself are also vital for earlier functions that establish the pool of multilineage precursors that would normally feed into the T-cell specification process. When the regulatory genes that encode them are mutated, the confounding effects on earlier stages make it difficult to dissect T-cell specification genetically. Yet both the positive and the negative regulatory events involved in the choice of a T-cell fate are actually a mosaic of distinct functions. New evidence has emerged recently that finally provides a way to separate the major components that fit together to drive this process. Here, we review insights into T-cell specification and commitment that emerge from a combination of molecular, cellular, and systems biology approaches. The results reveal the regulatory structure underlying this lineage decision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen V Rothenberg
- Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
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91
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Hosoya T, Maillard I, Engel JD. From the cradle to the grave: activities of GATA-3 throughout T-cell development and differentiation. Immunol Rev 2011; 238:110-25. [PMID: 20969588 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.2010.00954.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
GATA family transcription factors play multiple vital roles in hematopoiesis in many cell lineages, and in particular, T cells require GATA-3 for execution of several developmental steps. Transcriptional activation of the Gata3 gene is observed throughout T-cell development and differentiation in a stage-specific fashion. GATA-3 has been described as a master regulator of T-helper 2 (Th2) cell differentiation in mature CD4(+) T cells. During T-cell development in the thymus, its roles in the CD4 versus CD8 lineage choice and at the β-selection checkpoint are the best characterized. In contrast, its importance prior to β-selection has been obscured both by the developmental heterogeneity of double negative (DN) 1 thymocytes and the paucity of early T-lineage progenitors (ETPs), a subpopulation of DN1 cells that contains the most immature thymic progenitors that retain potent T-lineage developmental potential. By examining multiple lines of in vivo evidence procured through the analysis of Gata3 mutant mice, we have recently demonstrated that GATA-3 is additionally required at the earliest stage of thymopoiesis for the development of the ETP population. Here, we review the characterized functions of GATA-3 at each stage of T-cell development and discuss hypothetical molecular pathways that mediate these functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomonori Hosoya
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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92
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An NK and T cell enhancer lies 280 kilobase pairs 3' to the gata3 structural gene. Mol Cell Biol 2011; 31:1894-904. [PMID: 21383068 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.05065-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription factor GATA-3 is vital for multiple stages of T cell and natural killer (NK) cell development, and yet the factors that directly regulate Gata3 transcription during hematopoiesis are only marginally defined. Here, we show that neither of the Gata3 promoters, previously implicated in its tissue-specific regulation, is alone capable of directing Gata3 transcription in T lymphocytes. In contrast, by surveying large swaths of DNA surrounding the Gata3 locus, we located a cis element that can recapitulate aspects of the Gata3-dependent T cell regulatory program in vivo. This element, located 280 kbp 3' to the structural gene, directs both T cell- and NK cell-specific transcription in vivo but harbors no other tissue activity. This novel, distant element regulates multiple major developmental stages that require GATA-3 activity.
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93
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Xiong Y, Bosselut R. The enigma of CD4-lineage specification. Eur J Immunol 2011; 41:568-74. [PMID: 21341258 PMCID: PMC3388806 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201041098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2010] [Revised: 11/10/2010] [Accepted: 12/15/2010] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
CD4(+) T cells are essential for defenses against pathogens and affect the functions of most cells involved in the immune response. Although CD4(+) T cells generally recognize peptide antigens bound to MHC-II molecules, important subsets are restricted by other MHC or MHC-like molecules, including CD1d-restricted "invariant" iNK T cells. This review discusses recently identified nodes in the transcriptional circuits that are involved in controlling CD4(+) T-cell differentiation, notably the commitment factor Thpok and its interplay with Runx transcriptional regulators, and focuses on how transcription factors acting upstream of Thpok, including Gata3, Tox and E-box proteins, promote the emergence of CD4-lineage-specific gene expression patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumei Xiong
- Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-4259, USA
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94
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Gimferrer I, Hu T, Simmons A, Wang C, Souabni A, Busslinger M, Bender TP, Hernandez-Hoyos G, Alberola-Ila J. Regulation of GATA-3 expression during CD4 lineage differentiation. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 186:3892-8. [PMID: 21357543 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1003505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
GATA-3 is necessary for the development of MHC class II-restricted CD4 T cells, and its expression is increased during positive selection of these cells. TCR signals drive this upregulation, but the signaling pathways that control this process are not well understood. Using genetic and pharmacological approaches, we show that GATA-3 upregulation during thymocyte-positive selection is the result of additive inputs from the Ras/MAPK and calcineurin pathways. This upregulation requires the presence of the transcription factor c-Myb. Furthermore, we show that TH-POK can also upregulate GATA-3 in double-positive thymocytes, suggesting the existence of a positive feedback loop that contributes to lock in the initial commitment to the CD4 lineage during differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Idoia Gimferrer
- Immunobiology and Cancer Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
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95
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Abstract
CD4(+) T helper (T(H)) cells play a critical role in orchestrating a pleiotropy of immune activities against a large variety of pathogens. It is generally thought that this is achieved through the acquisition of highly specialized functions after activation followed by the differentiation into various functional subsets. The differentiation process of naive precursor T(H) cells into defined effector subsets is controlled by cells of the innate immune system and their complex array of effector molecules such as secreted cytokines and membrane bound costimulatory molecules. These provide a unique quantitative or qualitative signal initiating T(H) development, which is subsequently reinforced via T cell-mediated feedback signals and selective survival and proliferative cues, ultimately resulting in the predominance of a particular T cell subset. In recent years, the number of defined T(H)cell subsets has expanded and the once rigid division of labor among them has been blurred with reports of plasticity among the subsets. In this chapter, we summarize and speculate on the current knowledge of the differentiation requirements of T(H) cell lineages, with particular focus on the T(H)17 subset.
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96
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The epigenetic landscape of lineage choice: lessons from the heritability of CD4 and CD8 expression. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2011; 356:165-88. [PMID: 21989924 PMCID: PMC4417357 DOI: 10.1007/82_2011_175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Developing αβ T cells choose between the helper and cytotoxic lineages, depending upon the specificity of their T cell receptors for MHC molecules. The expression of the CD4 co-receptor on helper cells and the CD8 co-receptor on cytotoxic cells is intimately linked to this decision, and their regulation at the transcriptional level has been the subject of intense study to better understand lineage choice. Indeed, as the fate of developing T cells is decided, the expression status of these genes is accordingly locked. Genetic models have revealed important transcriptional elements and the ability to manipulate these elements in the framework of development has added a new perspective on the temporal nature of their function and the epigenetic maintenance of gene expression. We examine here novel insights into epigenetic mechanisms that have arisen through the study of these genes.
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97
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Abstract
The helper versus cytotoxic-lineage choice of CD4(+)CD8(+) DP thymocytes correlates with MHC restriction of their T cell receptors and the termination of either CD8 or CD4 coreceptor expression. It has been hypothesized that transcription factors regulating the expression of the Cd4/Cd8 coreceptor genes must play a role in regulating the lineage decision of DP thymocytes. Indeed, progress made during the past decade led to the identification of several transcription factors that regulate CD4/CD8 expression that are as well important regulators of helper/cytotoxic cell fate choice. These studies provided insight into the molecular link between the regulation of coreceptor expression and lineage decision. However, studies initiated by the identification of ThPOK, a central transcription factor for helper T cell development, have offered another perspective on the cross-regulation between these two processes. Here, we review advances in our understanding of regulatory circuits composed of transcription factors and their link to epigenetic mechanisms, which play essential roles in specifying and sealing cell lineage identity during the CD4/CD8 commitment process of DP thymocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ichiro Taniuchi
- Laboratory for Transcriptional Regulation, Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, RIKEN, Suehiro-cho, Turumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
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98
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Kastner P, Chan S, Vogel WK, Zhang LJ, Topark-Ngarm A, Golonzhka O, Jost B, Le Gras S, Gross MK, Leid M. Bcl11b represses a mature T-cell gene expression program in immature CD4(+)CD8(+) thymocytes. Eur J Immunol 2010; 40:2143-54. [PMID: 20544728 DOI: 10.1002/eji.200940258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Bcl11b is a transcription factor that, within the hematopoietic system, is expressed specifically in T cells. Although Bcl11b is required for T-cell differentiation in newborn Bcl11b-null mice, and for positive selection in the adult thymus of mice bearing a T-cell-targeted deletion, the gene network regulated by Bcl11b in T cells is unclear. We report herein that Bcl11b is a bifunctional transcriptional regulator, which is required for the correct expression of approximately 1000 genes in CD4(+)CD8(+)CD3(lo) double-positive (DP) thymocytes. Bcl11b-deficient DP cells displayed a gene expression program associated with mature CD4(+)CD8(-) and CD4(-)CD8(+) single-positive (SP) thymocytes, including upregulation of key transcriptional regulators, such as Zbtb7b and Runx3. Bcl11b interacted with regulatory regions of many dysregulated genes, suggesting a direct role in the transcriptional regulation of these genes. However, inappropriate expression of lineage-associated genes did not result in enhanced differentiation, as deletion of Bcl11b in DP cells prevented development of SP thymocytes, and that of canonical NKT cells. These data establish Bcl11b as a crucial transcriptional regulator in thymocytes, in which Bcl11b functions to prevent the premature expression of genes fundamental to the SP and NKT cell differentiation programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Kastner
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, INSERM U964, CNRS UMR7104, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.
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99
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Knirr S, Gomos-Klein J, Andino BE, Harrow F, Erhard KF, Kovalovsky D, Sant'Angelo DB, Ortiz BD. Ectopic T cell receptor-α locus control region activity in B cells is suppressed by direct linkage to two flanking genes at once. PLoS One 2010; 5:e15527. [PMID: 21124935 PMCID: PMC2989920 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2010] [Accepted: 10/06/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms regulating the activity of the TCRα gene are required for the production of the circulating T cell repertoire. Elements of the mouse TCRα locus control region (LCR) play a role in these processes. We previously reported that TCRα LCR DNA supports a gene expression pattern that mimics proper thymus-stage, TCRα gene-like developmental regulation. It also produces transcription of linked reporter genes in peripheral T cells. However, TCRα LCR-driven transgenes display ectopic transcription in B cells in multiple reporter gene systems. The reasons for this important deviation from the normal TCRα gene regulation pattern are unclear. In its natural locus, two genes flank the TCRα LCR, TCRα (upstream) and Dad1 (downstream). We investigated the significance of this gene arrangement to TCRα LCR activity by examining transgenic mice bearing a construct where the LCR was flanked by two separate reporter genes. Surprisingly, the presence of a second, distinct, reporter gene downstream of the LCR virtually eliminated the ectopic B cell expression of the upstream reporter observed in earlier studies. Downstream reporter gene activity was unaffected by the presence of a second gene upstream of the LCR. Our findings indicate that a gene arrangement in which the TCRα LCR is flanked by two distinct transcription units helps to restrict its activity, selectively, on its 5′-flanking gene, the natural TCRα gene position with respect to the LCR. Consistent with these findings, a TCRα/Dad1 locus bacterial artificial chromosome dual-reporter construct did not display the ectopic upstream (TCRα) reporter expression in B cells previously reported for single TCRα transgenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Knirr
- Department of Biological Sciences, City University of New York, Hunter College, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Janette Gomos-Klein
- Department of Biological Sciences, City University of New York, Hunter College, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Blanca E. Andino
- Department of Biological Sciences, City University of New York, Hunter College, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Faith Harrow
- Department of Biological Sciences, City University of New York, Hunter College, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Karl F. Erhard
- Department of Biological Sciences, City University of New York, Hunter College, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Damian Kovalovsky
- Division of Immunology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Derek B. Sant'Angelo
- Division of Immunology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Benjamin D. Ortiz
- Department of Biological Sciences, City University of New York, Hunter College, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Wang L, Carr T, Xiong Y, Wildt KF, Zhu J, Feigenbaum L, Bendelac A, Bosselut R. The sequential activity of Gata3 and Thpok is required for the differentiation of CD1d-restricted CD4+ NKT cells. Eur J Immunol 2010; 40:2385-90. [PMID: 20706986 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201040534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
While most CD4(+) T cells are MHC class II-restricted, a small subset, including the CD1d-restricted 'invariant' NKT (iNKT) cells, are selected on non-classical MHC-I or MHC-I-like molecules. We previously showed that the sequential activity of two zinc finger transcription factors, Gata3 and Thpok, promotes the differentiation of conventional, MHC II-restricted thymocytes into CD4(+) T cells. In the current study, we show that a Gata3-Thpok cascade is required for the differentiation of CD4(+) iNKT cells. Gata3 is required for iNKT cells to express Thpok, whereas Thpok is needed for proper NKT cell differentiation, and notably for NKT cells to maintain CD4 and terminate CD8 expression. These findings identify the sequential activity of Gata3 and Thpok as a hallmark of CD4(+) T-cell differentiation, regardless of MHC restriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lie Wang
- Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-4259, USA
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