Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
15:33
Adenoviral Transduction of Naive CD4 T Cells to Study Treg Differentiation
Published on: August 13, 2013
Ikaros, an early lymphoid-specific transcription factor and a putative mediator for T cell commitment
K Georgopoulos1, D D Moore, B Derfler
1Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown 02114.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 30, 1992
Summary
The Ikaros protein, a transcriptional regulator, is crucial for T cell development. It activates the CD3 delta gene, aiding in T lymphocyte specification and maturation during development.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- T cell lineage differentiation is a complex process regulated by specific transcription factors.
- Identifying key regulators is essential for understanding T cell development and potential therapeutic targets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify transcriptional regulators involved in T cell lineage differentiation.
- To characterize the function of a newly identified zinc finger protein, Ikaros, in T cell development.
Main Methods:
- Complementary DNA screening to isolate transcriptional regulators.
- Analysis of gene enhancer activity and protein binding.
- Messenger RNA expression profiling in various developmental tissues.
Main Results:
- Isolation of a cDNA encoding the zinc finger protein Ikaros.
- Demonstration that Ikaros binds to and activates the CD3 delta gene enhancer.
- Detection of Ikaros mRNA in mouse fetal liver and embryonic thymus during early development.
Conclusions:
- Ikaros functions as a transcriptional regulator in T cell lineage specification.
- The expression pattern and function of Ikaros support its role in T lymphocyte maturation.
Related Concept Videos
02:16Transcription Factors
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
02:36RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
Proteins that regulate transcription can do so either via direct contact with RNA Polymerase or through indirect interactions facilitated by adaptors, mediators, histone-modifying proteins, and nucleosome remodelers. Direct interactions to activate transcription is seen in bacteria as well as in some eukaryotic genes. In these cases, upstream activation sequences are adjacent to the promoters, and the activator proteins interact directly with the transcriptional machinery. For example, in...
02:42Eukaryotic Transcription Activators
Transcription activators are proteins that promote the transcription of genes from DNA to RNA. In most cases, these proteins contain two separate domains ‒ a domain that binds to DNA and a domain for activating transcription; however, in some cases, a single domain is responsible for both binding and activation of transcription, as seen in the glucocorticoid receptor and MyoD.
The binding domains are capable of recognizing and interacting with regulatory sequences on the DNA. These domains are...
The binding domains are capable of recognizing and interacting with regulatory sequences on the DNA. These domains are...
01:21Lineage Commitment
Commitment is the process whereby stem cells:
01:30General Transcription Factors
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
01:22T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...