Kinetics of transcription factors regulating the RANTES chemokine gene reveal a developmental switch in nuclear events during T-lymphocyte maturation

Switching gears during T-cell maturation: RANTES and late transcription

Although much is understood about the induction of genes expressed early (within 24 h) after T-cell activation, little is known about the regulation of expression of genes expressed 'late' (three or more days) post-stimulation. A better understanding of transcriptional regulation at this important stage of T-cell maturation may yield new insights into T-cell development and new immunotherapeutic targets.

Glucocorticoid-mediated inhibition of RANTES expression in human T lymphocytes

The chemokine RANTES has been implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic inflammatory diseases including asthma and rhinitis which are frequently treated with glucocorticoids. We observed that dexamethasone dramatically inhibited RANTES mRNA expression dose dependently in anti-CD3 activated Hut-78 T cells and human PBMCs. Inhibition of RANTES expression did not appear to be secondary to IL-2 inhibition and required binding to the intracellular glucocorticoid receptor. The down-regulation of RANTES expression by glucocorticoids in T cells may directly contribute to the efficacy of these agents in suppressing cellular infiltration and to their anti-inflammatory properties.