First Author | Read KA | Year | 2023 |
Journal | Nat Commun | Volume | 14 |
Issue | 1 | Pages | 1652 |
PubMed ID | 36964178 | Mgi Jnum | J:336049 |
Mgi Id | MGI:7450382 | Doi | 10.1038/s41467-023-37420-0 |
Citation | Read KA, et al. (2023) Aiolos represses CD4(+) T cell cytotoxic programming via reciprocal regulation of T(FH) transcription factors and IL-2 sensitivity. Nat Commun 14(1):1652 |
abstractText | During intracellular infection, T follicular helper (T(FH)) and T helper 1 (T(H)1) cells promote humoral and cell-mediated responses, respectively. Another subset, CD4-cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD4-CTLs), eliminate infected cells via functions typically associated with CD8(+) T cells. The mechanisms underlying differentiation of these populations are incompletely understood. Here, we identify the transcription factor Aiolos as a reciprocal regulator of T(FH) and CD4-CTL programming. We find that Aiolos deficiency results in downregulation of key T(FH) transcription factors, and consequently reduced T(FH) differentiation and antibody production, during influenza virus infection. Conversely, CD4-CTL programming is elevated, including enhanced Eomes and cytolytic molecule expression. We further demonstrate that Aiolos deficiency allows for enhanced IL-2 sensitivity and increased STAT5 association with CD4-CTL gene targets, including Eomes, effector molecules, and IL2Ra. Thus, our collective findings identify Aiolos as a pivotal regulator of CD4-CTL and T(FH) programming and highlight its potential as a target for manipulating CD4(+) T cell responses. |