IFN-? suppresses GATA3 transcription from a distal exon and promotes H3K27 trimethylation of the CNS-1 enhancer in human Th2 cells.
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ABSTRACT: CD4(+) Th2 development is regulated by the zinc finger transcription factor GATA3. Once induced by acute priming signals, such as IL-4, GATA3 poises the Th2 cytokine locus for rapid activation and establishes a positive-feedback loop that maintains elevated GATA3 expression. Type I IFN (IFN-?/?) inhibits Th2 cells by blocking the expression of GATA3 during Th2 development and in fully committed Th2 cells. In this study, we uncovered a unique mechanism by which IFN-?/? signaling represses the GATA3 gene in human Th2 cells. IFN-?/? suppressed expression of GATA3 mRNA that was transcribed from an alternative distal upstream exon (1A). This suppression was not mediated through DNA methylation, but rather by histone modifications localized to a conserved noncoding sequence (CNS-1) upstream of exon 1A. IFN-?/? treatment led to a closed conformation of CNS-1, as assessed by DNase I hypersensitivity, along with enhanced accumulation of H3K27me3 mark at this CNS region, which correlated with increased density of total nucleosomes at this putative enhancer. Consequently, accessibility of CNS-1 to GATA3 DNA binding activity was reduced in response to IFN-?/? signaling, even in the presence of IL-4. Thus, IFN-?/? disrupts the GATA3-autoactivation loop and promotes epigenetic silencing of a Th2-specific regulatory region within the GATA3 gene.
SUBMITTER: Huber JP
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4104489 | biostudies-other | 2014 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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