Itm2a, a target gene of GATA-3, plays a minimal role in regulating the development and function of T cells

The integral membrane protein 2a (Itm2a) is one of the BRICHOS domain-containing proteins and is structurally related to Itm2b and Itm2c. It is expressed preferentially in the T lineage among hematopoietic cells and is induced by MHC-mediated positive selection. However, its transcriptional regulation and function are poorly understood. Here we showed Itm2a to be a target gene of GATA-3, a T cell-specific transcription factor. Deficiency of Itm2a had little impact on the development and function of polyclonal T cells but resulted in a partial defect in the development of thymocytes bearing a MHC class I-restricted TCR, OT-I. In addition, Itm2a-deficient mice displayed an attenuated T helper cell-dependent immune response in vivo. We further demonstrated that Itm2b but not Itm2c was also expressed in T cells, and was induced upon activation, albeit following a kinetic different from that of Itm2a. Thus, functional redundancy between Itm2a and Itm2b may explain the minimal phenotype of Itm2a deficiency.