DNA methylation differences between human regulatory T cells and conventional T cells
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ABSTRACT: Regulatory T cells (Treg) prevent the emergence of autoimmune disease. Prototypic natural Treg (nTreg) are programmed by Forkhead-box P3 (FOXP3) and can be reliably identified by demethylation at the FOXP3 locus. To explore the nTreg methylation landscape we performed genome-wide methylation studies on human naïve resting nTreg (rTreg) and conventional naïve CD4+ T cells (Naïve). We detected 2,315 differentially methylated CpGs between these two cell types, many of which clustered into 127 regions of differential methylation (RDMs). T cell activation induced changes in 466 individual CpGs and 18 RDMs in naïve CD4+ T cells, but did not alter DNA methylation in rTreg. Expression of mRNA for TIGIT, an immune suppressive receptor demethylated in rTreg, was upregulated in nTreg and reduced in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of individuals at risk for autoimmune (type 1) diabetes. Gene-set testing of the 127 RDMs revealed enrichment of common Treg signature genes, FOXP3 bound genes and genes directly upregulated by FOXP3, which was primarily driven by the subset of demethylated RDMs. A putative Forkhead-binding motif overrepresented in promoter-associated RDMs suggests methylation regulates gene expression by influencing FOXP3 binding. Our findings provide new insights into epigenetic regulation of human nTreg and the potential to exploit differential methylation as an immune biomarker in human diseases.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE49667 | GEO | 2013/09/09
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA214687
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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