Transcriptional regulation of T helper type 2 differentiation

Abstract

Considerable progress has been made in recent years towards our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation of T helper type 2 (Th2) cell differentiation. Additional transcription factors and chromatin-modifying factors were identified and shown to promote Th2 cell differentiation and inhibit differentiation into other subsets. Analyses of mice lacking several cis-regulatory elements have yielded more insight into the regulatory mechanism of Th2 cytokine genes. Gene deletion studies of several chromatin modifiers confirmed their impact on CD4 T-cell differentiation. In addition, recent genome-wide analyses of transcription factor binding and chromatin status revealed unexpected roles of these factors in Th2-cell differentiation. In this review, these recent findings and their implication are summarized.