STAT6-dependent regulation of Th9 development

J Immunol. 2012 Feb 1;188(3):968-75. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1102840. Epub 2011 Dec 16.

Abstract

Th cell effector subsets develop in response to specific cytokine environments. The development of a particular cytokine-secreting pattern requires an integration of signals that may promote the development of opposing pathways. A recent example of this paradigm is the IL-9-secreting Th9 cell that develops in response to TGF-β and IL-4, cytokines that, in isolation, promote the development of inducible regulatory T cells and Th2 cells, respectively. To determine how the balance of these factors results in priming for IL-9 secretion, we examined the effects of each pathway on transcription factors that regulate Th cell differentiation. We demonstrated that TGF-β induces the PU.1-encoding Sfpi1 locus and that this is independent of IL-4-induced STAT6 activation. IL-4-activated STAT6 is required for repressing the expression of T-bet and Foxp3 in Th9 cells, transcription factors that inhibit IL-9 production, and STAT6 is required for the induction of IRF4, which promotes Th9 development. These data established a transcription factor network that regulates IL-9 and demonstrated how combinations of cytokine signals generate cytokine-secreting potential by altering the expression of a panel of transcription factors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cytokines
  • Gene Regulatory Networks
  • Interferon Regulatory Factors / genetics
  • Interleukin-4 / immunology
  • Interleukin-9 / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / genetics
  • STAT6 Transcription Factor / physiology*
  • Signal Transduction / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / cytology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / metabolism*
  • Trans-Activators / genetics
  • Transcriptional Activation

Substances

  • Cytokines
  • Interferon Regulatory Factors
  • Interleukin-9
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • STAT6 Transcription Factor
  • Stat6 protein, mouse
  • Trans-Activators
  • interferon regulatory factor-4
  • proto-oncogene protein Spi-1
  • Interleukin-4