Quantitative Difference in PLZF Protein Expression Determines iNKT Lineage Fate and Controls Innate CD8 T Cell Generation.
Authors of this article are:
Park JY, DiPalma DT, Kwon J, Fink J, Park JH.
A summary of the article is shown below:
Zbtb16 encodes the zinc-finger protein PLZF, which is often used as a lineage marker for innate-like T cells and is specifically required for the generation of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells in the thymus. Here, we report that not only PLZF expression itself but also the relative abundance of PLZF proteins plays critical roles in iNKT cell development. Utilizing a Zbtb16 hypomorphic allele, PLZFGFPCre, which produces PLZF proteins at only half of the level of the wild-type allele, we show that decreased PLZF expression results in a significant decrease in iNKT cell numbers, which is further associated with profound alterations in iNKT lineage choices and subset composition. These results document that there is a quantitative aspect of PLZF expression in iNKT cells, demonstrating that the availability of PLZF protein is a critical factor for both effective iNKT cell generation and subset differentiation.Published by Elsevier Inc.
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This article is a good source of information and a good way to become familiar with topics such as: IFN-γ; IL-4; iNKT cells; thymus; transcription factor.
