| First Author | Staudt V | Year | 2010 |
| Journal | Immunity | Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 192-202 |
| PubMed ID | 20674401 | Mgi Jnum | J:163925 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4830197 | Doi | 10.1016/j.immuni.2010.07.014 |
| Citation | Staudt V, et al. (2010) Interferon-regulatory factor 4 is essential for the developmental program of T helper 9 cells. Immunity 33(2):192-202 |
| abstractText | Interferon-regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) is essential for the development of T helper 2 (Th2) and Th17 cells. Herein, we report that IRF4 is also crucial for the development and function of an interleukin-9 (IL-9)-producing CD4(+) T cell subset designated Th9. IRF4-deficient CD4(+) T cells failed to develop into IL-9-producing Th9 cells, and IRF4-specific siRNA inhibited IL-9 production in wild-type CD4(+) T cells. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analyses revealed direct IRF4 binding to the Il9 promoter in Th9 cells. In a Th9-dependent asthma model, neutralization of IL-9 substantially ameliorated asthma symptoms. The relevance of these findings is emphasized by the fact that the induction of IL-9 production also occurs in human CD4(+) T cells accompanied by the upregulation of IRF4. Our data clearly demonstrate the central function of IRF4 in the development of Th9 cells and underline the contribution of this T helper cell subset to the pathogenesis of asthma. |
