| First Author | Gökmen MR | Year | 2013 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 191 |
| Issue | 12 | Pages | 5925-32 |
| PubMed ID | 24249732 | Mgi Jnum | J:207104 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5554469 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.1202254 |
| Citation | Gokmen MR, et al. (2013) Genome-wide regulatory analysis reveals that T-bet controls Th17 lineage differentiation through direct suppression of IRF4. J Immunol 191(12):5925-32 |
| abstractText | The complex relationship between Th1 and Th17 cells is incompletely understood. The transcription factor T-bet is best known as the master regulator of Th1 lineage commitment. However, attention is now focused on the repression of alternate T cell subsets mediated by T-bet, particularly the Th17 lineage. It has recently been suggested that pathogenic Th17 cells express T-bet and are dependent on IL-23. However, T-bet has previously been shown to be a negative regulator of Th17 cells. We have taken an unbiased approach to determine the functional impact of T-bet on Th17 lineage commitment. Genome-wide analysis of functional T-bet binding sites provides an improved understanding of the transcriptional regulation mediated by T-bet, and suggests novel mechanisms by which T-bet regulates Th cell differentiation. Specifically, we show that T-bet negatively regulates Th17 lineage commitment via direct repression of the transcription factor IFN regulatory factor-4 (IRF4). An in vivo analysis of the pathogenicity of T-bet-deficient T cells demonstrated that mucosal Th17 responses were augmented in the absence of T-bet, and we have demonstrated that the roles of T-bet in enforcing Th1 responses and suppressing Th17 responses are separable. The interplay of the two key transcription factors T-bet and IRF4 during the determination of T cell fate choice significantly advances our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of pathogenic T cells. |
