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Mouse Naïve CD4+ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets
Published on: April 16, 2015
CD4-CD8 lineage commitment is regulated by a silencer element at the ThPOK transcription-factor locus
Xi He1, Kyewon Park, Haitao Wang
1Fox Chase Cancer Center, 7701 Burholme Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA.
Immunity
|March 18, 2008
Summary
Thymic selection involves T cell receptor (TCR) signals regulating the ThPOK transcription factor. A key regulatory element silences ThPOK in CD8+ T cells, while TCR signals inactivate it for CD4+ T cell commitment.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- The transcription factor ThPOK is crucial for CD4+ lymphocyte development.
- Understanding ThPOK regulation is key to deciphering CD4+ T cell commitment.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the regulation of ThPOK expression.
- Elucidate ThPOK's role in CD4+ T cell lineage commitment.
Main Methods:
- Treatment of immature thymocytes with anti-TCR antibodies.
- Identification and analysis of a distal regulatory element (DRE) at the ThPOK locus.
- Mutagenesis analysis of the DRE core sequence.
Main Results:
- TCR signals are vital for ThPOK induction, targeting the CD4+8lo thymocyte stage.
- A DRE at the ThPOK locus differentially regulates gene expression.
- The DRE suppresses ThPOK in class I-restricted thymocytes and induces it in class II-restricted thymocytes.
- An 80bp core DRE sequence with specific motifs was identified.
Conclusions:
- A silencer-dependent model for T cell lineage choice is proposed.
- TCR signal strength dictates DRE silencer activity, leading to CD4+ or CD8+ commitment.
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