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Helper T‐cell identity and evolution of differential transcriptomes and epigenomes
Author(s) -
Vahedi Golnaz,
C. Poholek Amanda,
Hand Timothy W.,
Laurence Arian,
Kanno Yuka,
O'Shea John J.,
Hirahara Kiyoshi
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
immunological reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.839
H-Index - 223
eISSN - 1600-065X
pISSN - 0105-2896
DOI - 10.1111/imr.12037
Subject(s) - biology , epigenome , transcriptome , transcription factor , cell fate determination , epigenetics , cellular differentiation , computational biology , genetics , gene , gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , dna methylation
Summary CD 4 + T cells are critical for the elimination of an immense array of microbial pathogens. Among the ways they accomplish this task is to generate progeny with specialized, characteristic patterns of gene expression. From this perspective, helper cells can be viewed as pluripotent precursors that adopt distinct cell fates. Although there are aspects of helper cell differentiation that can be modeled as a classic cell fate commitment, CD 4 + T cells also maintain considerable flexibility in their transcriptional program. This makes sense in terms of host defense, but raises the question of how these remarkable cells balance both these requirements, a high degree of specific gene expression and the capacity for plasticity. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of CD 4 + T‐cell specification, focusing on how genomic perspectives have influenced our views of these processes. The relative contributions of sensors of the cytokine milieu, especially the signal transducer and activator of transcription family transcription factors, ‘master regulators’, and other transcription factors are considered as they relate to the helper cell transcriptome and epigenome.