Controlling CD4 gene expression during T cell lineage commitment

T cell lineage commitment as the double-positive (DP) thymocyte matures into the single-positive (SP) T cell requires the irreversible repression or maintenance of CD4 gene expression. Signals transmitted from the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) during thymic selection are believed to be linked to the transcriptional regulation of the CD4 gene; thus, a study of the factors that control CD4 gene expression may lead to further insight into the molecular mechanisms that drive T cell development. This review discusses the work conducted to date to identify and characterize the transcriptional control elements in the CD4 locus and the factors that mediate their function. From these studies, it is clear that the molecular mechanisms controlling CD4 gene expression are very complex and are controlled by many different signals as the thymocyte develops.