Smad2/3 and IRF4 play a cooperative role in IL-9-producing T cell induction

J Immunol. 2013 Sep 1;191(5):2360-71. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1301276. Epub 2013 Aug 2.

Abstract

IL-9 is a pleiotropic cytokine that can regulate autoimmune and allergic responses. Th9 cells can develop from naive T cells or Th2 cells through stimulation by TGF-β in vitro. In this study, we demonstrated that Smad2 and Smad3 are necessary for IL-9 production from T cells in an OVA-induced asthma model using T cell-specific Smad2- and Smad3-deficient mice. Smad2 and Smad3 were also redundantly essential for TGF-β signaling to induce histone modifications for Il9 transcription. Although Smad2/3 was recruited to the Il9 promoter by TGF-β stimulation, they are not sufficient to activate the Il9 promoter. By the screening the transcription factors, we found that IFN regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) was essential for the Smad2/3-mediated Il9 promoter activation. In addition, Smad2/3 physically interacted with IRF4, and Smad2/3 did not bind to the Il9 promoter and could not induce Th9 in IRF4-deficient T cells. Similarly, IRF4 could not stimulate Il9 transcription in the absence of Smad2/3, and TGF-β enhanced IRF4 recruitment to the Il9 promoter in a Smad2/3-dependent manner. We propose that Smad2/3 and IRF4 cooperatively transactivate the Il9 promoter and play an important role in regulating allergic immune responses by inducing Th9 cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blotting, Western
  • Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Hypersensitivity / immunology
  • Interferon Regulatory Factors / immunology*
  • Interferon Regulatory Factors / metabolism
  • Interleukin-9 / biosynthesis
  • Interleukin-9 / genetics
  • Interleukin-9 / immunology*
  • Lymphocyte Activation / genetics
  • Lymphocyte Activation / immunology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Smad2 Protein / immunology*
  • Smad2 Protein / metabolism
  • Smad3 Protein / immunology*
  • Smad3 Protein / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / metabolism
  • Transcriptional Activation

Substances

  • Interferon Regulatory Factors
  • Interleukin-9
  • Smad2 Protein
  • Smad2 protein, mouse
  • Smad3 Protein
  • Smad3 protein, mouse
  • interferon regulatory factor-4