Cutting Edge: Foxp1 Controls Naive CD8+ T Cell Quiescence by Simultaneously Repressing Key Pathways in Cellular Metabolism and Cell Cycle Progression

Previously we have shown that transcription factor Foxp1 plays an essential role in maintaining naive T cell quiescence; in the absence of Foxp1, mature naive CD8(+) T cells proliferate in direct response to homeostatic cytokine IL-7. In this study, we report that the deletion of Foxp1 in naive CD8(+) T cells leads to enhanced activation of the PI3K/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway and its downstream cell growth and metabolism targets in response to IL-7. We found that Foxp1 directly regulates PI3K interacting protein 1, a negative regulator of PI3K. Additionally, we found that deletion of Foxp1 in naive CD8(+) T cells results in increased expression levels of E2fs, the critical components for cell cycle progression and proliferation, in a manner that is not associated with increased phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein. Taken together, our studies suggest that Foxp1 enforces naive CD8(+) T cell quiescence by simultaneously repressing key pathways in both cellular metabolism and cell cycle progression.