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Transcriptional Control of Regulatory T cells

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Transcriptional Control of Lineage Differentiation in Immune Cells

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 381))

Abstract

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) constitute unique T cell lineage that plays a key role for immunological tolerance. Tregs are characterized by the expression of the forkhead box transcription factor Foxp3, which acts as a lineage-specifying factor by determining the unique suppression profile of these immune cells. Here, we summarize the recent progress in understanding how Foxp3 expression itself is epigenetically and transcriptionally controlled, how the Treg-specific signature is achieved and how unique properties of Treg subsets are defined by other transcription factors. Finally, we will discuss recent studies focusing on the molecular targeting of Tregs to utilize the specific properties of this unique cell type in therapeutic settings.

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Acknowledgments

We apologize to all colleagues whose articles could not be cited because of space limitation. Work in the author’s laboratories on this topic was supported by grants from Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers (HZ-NG-505 to M.F.), the German-Israeli Helmholtz Research School in Cancer Biology (to M.D.), the German Research Foundation (SFB738 to J.H.) and by a DKFZ/HZI joint grant (to M.F. and J.H.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Immune Tolerance, Tumor Immunology Program, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Michael Delacher, David M. Richards & Markus Feuerer

  2. Experimental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstrasse 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany

    Lisa Schreiber, Carla Farah & Jochen Huehn

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  1. Michael Delacher
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  2. Lisa Schreiber
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  3. David M. Richards
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  4. Carla Farah
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  5. Markus Feuerer
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  6. Jochen Huehn
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Markus Feuerer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical University of Vienna, Division of Immunobiology, Institute of Immunology, Center of Pathophysiology,Infectiology and Immunology, Vienna, Wien, Austria

    Wilfried Ellmeier

  2. RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, IMS,, Laboratory for Transcriptional Regulation,, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

    Ichiro Taniuchi

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Delacher, M., Schreiber, L., Richards, D.M., Farah, C., Feuerer, M., Huehn, J. (2014). Transcriptional Control of Regulatory T cells. In: Ellmeier, W., Taniuchi, I. (eds) Transcriptional Control of Lineage Differentiation in Immune Cells. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 381. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/82_2014_373

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