Wheaton Joshua D, Yeh Chen-Hao, Ciofani Maria
Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
J Immunol. 2017 Dec 15;199(12):3931-3936. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1701134. Epub 2017 Nov 10.
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) adopt specialized phenotypes defined by coexpression of lineage-defining transcription factors, such as RORγt, Bcl-6, or PPARγ, alongside Foxp3. These Treg subsets have unique tissue distributions and diverse roles in maintaining organismal homeostasis. However, despite extensive functional characterization, the factors driving Treg specialization are largely unknown. In this article, we show that c-Maf is a critical transcription factor regulating this process in mice, essential for generation of both RORγt Tregs and T follicular regulatory cells, but not for adipose-resident Tregs. c-Maf appears to function primarily in Treg specialization, because IL-10 production, expression of other effector molecules, and general immune homeostasis are not c-Maf dependent. As in other T cells, c-Maf is induced in Tregs by IL-6 and TGF-β, suggesting that a combination of inflammatory and tolerogenic signals promote c-Maf expression. Therefore, c-Maf is a novel regulator of Treg specialization, which may integrate disparate signals to facilitate environmental adaptation.
调节性T细胞(Tregs)具有由谱系定义转录因子共同表达所定义的特殊表型,例如RORγt、Bcl-6或PPARγ,同时还有Foxp3。这些Treg亚群具有独特的组织分布,并且在维持机体稳态中发挥着不同的作用。然而,尽管进行了广泛的功能表征,但驱动Treg特化的因素在很大程度上仍不清楚。在本文中,我们表明c-Maf是调节小鼠这一过程的关键转录因子,对于RORγt Tregs和T滤泡调节细胞的产生至关重要,但对于驻留在脂肪组织中的Tregs则并非如此。c-Maf似乎主要在Treg特化中发挥作用,因为白细胞介素-10的产生、其他效应分子的表达以及一般免疫稳态并不依赖于c-Maf。与其他T细胞一样,c-Maf在Tregs中由白细胞介素-6和转化生长因子-β诱导产生,这表明炎症信号和耐受性信号的组合促进了c-Maf的表达。因此,c-Maf是Treg特化的一种新型调节因子,它可能整合不同信号以促进环境适应。