Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-4259, USA.
Eur J Immunol. 2011 Mar;41(3):568-74. doi: 10.1002/eji.201041098. Epub 2011 Feb 10.
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.
CD4(+) T 细胞对于抵御病原体至关重要,并且影响参与免疫反应的大多数细胞的功能。尽管 CD4(+) T 细胞通常识别与 MHC-II 分子结合的肽抗原,但重要的亚群受到其他 MHC 或 MHC 样分子的限制,包括 CD1d 限制的“不变”iNK T 细胞。本综述讨论了最近发现的参与控制 CD4(+) T 细胞分化的转录回路中的节点,特别是决定因子 Thpok 及其与 Runx 转录因子的相互作用,并重点介绍了在 Thpok 上游起作用的转录因子,包括 Gata3、Tox 和 E 盒蛋白,如何促进 CD4 谱系特异性基因表达模式的出现。