Dataset Information

TGF-? signaling controls Foxp3 methylation and T reg cell differentiation by modulating Uhrf1 activity.

ABSTRACT: Regulatory T (T reg) cells are required for the maintenance of immune homeostasis. Both TGF-? signaling and epigenetic modifications are important for Foxp3 induction, but how TGF-? signaling participates in the epigenetic regulation of Foxp3 remains largely unknown. Here we showed that T cell-specific ablation of Uhrf1 resulted in T reg-biased differentiation in TCR-stimulated naive T cells in the absence of TGF-? signaling, and these Foxp3+ T cells had a suppressive function. Adoptive transfer of Uhrf1 -/- naive T cells could significantly suppress colitis due to increased iT reg cell generation. Mechanistically, Uhrf1 was induced upon TCR stimulation and participated in the maintenance of DNA methylation patterns of T reg cell-specific genes during cell division, while it was phosphorylated upon TGF-? stimulation and sequestered outside the nucleus, and ultimately underwent proteasome-dependent degradation. Collectively, our study reveals a novel epigenetic mechanism of TGF-?-mediated iT reg cell differentiation by modulating Uhrf1 activity and suggests that Uhrf1 may be a potential therapeutic target in inflammatory diseases for generating stable iT reg cells.

SUBMITTER: Sun X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6888975 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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TGF-β signaling controls Foxp3 methylation and T reg cell differentiation by modulating Uhrf1 activity.

Sun Xiang X Cui Yu Y Feng Haiyun H Liu Haifeng H Liu Xiaolong X

The Journal of experimental medicine 20190912 12

Regulatory T (T reg) cells are required for the maintenance of immune homeostasis. Both TGF-β signaling and epigenetic modifications are important for Foxp3 induction, but how TGF-β signaling participates in the epigenetic regulation of Foxp3 remains largely unknown. Here we showed that T cell-specific ablation of Uhrf1 resulted in T reg-biased differentiation in TCR-stimulated naive T cells in the absence of TGF-β signaling, and these Foxp3+ T cells had a suppressive function. ...[more]

PMID: 31515281

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Project description:Under physiological conditions, CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells expressing the transcription factor Foxp3 are generated in the thymus [thymus-derived Foxp3+ Treg (tTregs) cells] and extrathymically at peripheral sites [peripherally induced Foxp3+ Treg (pTreg) cell], and both developmental subsets play non-redundant roles in maintaining self-tolerance throughout life. In addition, a variety of experimental in vitro and in vivo modalities can extrathymically elicit a Foxp3+ Treg cell phenotype in peripheral CD4+Foxp3- T cells, which has attracted much interest as an approach toward cell-based therapy in clinical settings of undesired immune responses. A particularly notable example is the in vitro induction of Foxp3 expression and Treg cell activity (iTreg cells) in initially naive CD4+Foxp3- T cells through T cell receptor (TCR) and IL-2R ligation, in the presence of exogenous TGF-?. Clinical application of Foxp3+ iTreg cells has been hampered by the fact that TGF-?-driven Foxp3 induction is not sufficient to fully recapitulate the epigenetic and transcriptional signature of in vivo induced Foxp3+ tTreg and pTreg cells, which includes the failure to imprint iTreg cells with stable Foxp3 expression. This hurdle can be potentially overcome by pharmacological interference with DNA methyltransferase activity and CpG methylation [e.g., by the cytosine nucleoside analog 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC)] to stabilize TGF-?-induced Foxp3 expression and to promote a Foxp3+ iTreg cell phenotype even in the absence of added TGF-?. However, the molecular mechanisms of 5-aza-dC-mediated Foxp3+ iTreg cell generation have remained incompletely understood. Here, we show that in the absence of exogenously added TGF-? and IL-2, efficient 5-aza-dC-mediated Foxp3+ iTreg cell generation from TCR-stimulated CD4+Foxp3- T cells is critically dependent on TGF-?R and IL-2R signaling and that this process is driven by TGF-? and IL-2, which could either be FCS derived or produced by T cells on TCR stimulation. Overall, these findings contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the process of Foxp3 induction and may provide a rational basis for generating phenotypically and functionally stable iTreg cells.

Dataset Information

TGF-? signaling controls Foxp3 methylation and T reg cell differentiation by modulating Uhrf1 activity.

Publications

TGF-β signaling controls <i>Foxp3</i> methylation and T reg cell differentiation by modulating Uhrf1 activity.

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