Project description:The development of human adaptive immunity progresses faster than previously appreciated, with the emergence of memory CD4+ T cells alongside regulatory T (Treg) cells by the second trimester of pregnancy. We previously identified a prenatal-specific subset of PLZF+ CD4+ T cells with heightened effector potential that accounted for most memory T cells in the developing intestine and accumulated in the cord blood of infants exposed to prenatal inflammatory pathologies. However, the signals that drive their tissue distribution and effector maturation are unknown. Here, we define the transcriptional and functional heterogeneity of prenatal PLZF+ CD4+ T cells and identify compartmentalization of Th-like effector function across the small intestine (SI) and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN).
Project description:The development of human adaptive immunity progresses faster than previously appreciated, with the emergence of memory CD4+ T cells alongside regulatory T (Treg) cells by the second trimester of pregnancy. We previously identified a prenatal-specific subset of PLZF+ CD4+ T cells with heightened effector potential that accounted for most memory T cells in the developing intestine and accumulated in the cord blood of infants exposed to prenatal inflammatory pathologies. However, the signals that drive their tissue distribution and effector maturation are unknown. Here, we define the transcriptional and functional heterogeneity of prenatal PLZF+ CD4+ T cells and identify compartmentalization of Th-like effector function across the small intestine (SI) and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN).
Project description:The development of human prenatal adaptive immunity progresses faster than previously appreciated, with the emergence of memory CD4+ T cells alongside regulatory T cells by midgestation. We previously identified a prenatal specific population of promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger-positive (PLZF+) CD4+ T cells with heightened effector potential that were enriched in the developing intestine and accumulated in the cord blood of infants exposed to prenatal inflammation. However, the signals that drive their tissue distribution and effector maturation are unknown. Here, we define the transcriptional and functional heterogeneity of human prenatal PLZF+CD4+ T cells and identify the compartmentalization of T helper-like (Th-like) effector function across the small intestine (SI) and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs). IL-7 was more abundant in the SI relative to the MLNs and drove the preferential expansion of naive PLZF+CD4+ T cells via enhanced STAT5 and MEK/ERK signaling. Exposure to IL-7 was sufficient to induce the acquisition of CD45RO expression and rapid effector function in a subset of PLZF+CD4+ T cells, identifying a human analog of memory phenotype CD4+ T cells. Further, IL-7 modulated the differentiation of Th1- and Th17-like PLZF+CD4+ T cells and thus likely contributes to the anatomic compartmentalization of human prenatal CD4+ T cell effector function.
Project description:Natural killer (NKT) T cells exhibit tissue distribution, surface phenotype, and functional responses that are strikingly different from those of conventional T cells. The transcription factor PLZF is responsible for most of these properties, as its ectopic expression in conventional T cells is sufficient to confer to them an NKT-like phenotype. The molecular program downstream of PLZF, however, is largely unexplored. Here we report that PLZF regulates the expression of a surprisingly small set of genes, many with known immune functions. This includes several established components of the NKT cell developmental program. Transcriptional program downstream of PLZF in gammadelta NKT cells was analyzed by comparing wt, heterozygous and PLZF-deficient gammadelta NKT cells
Project description:Natural killer (NKT) T cells exhibit tissue distribution, surface phenotype, and functional responses that are strikingly different from those of conventional T cells. The transcription factor PLZF is responsible for most of these properties, as its ectopic expression in conventional T cells is sufficient to confer to them an NKT-like phenotype. The molecular program downstream of PLZF, however, is largely unexplored. Here we report that PLZF regulates the expression of a surprisingly small set of genes, many with known immune functions. This includes several established components of the NKT cell developmental program.