T cell development: bottoms-up.
An important but laborious approach to understanding the concepts underlying T cell lineage commitment is to characterize the cis-acting control elements governing the expression of CD4 and CD8. Previous studies on the CD4 gene have shown that lineage commitment information is directed by the intronic silencer; however, a similarly simple mechanism for controlling CD8 gene expression has not been uncovered. In this issue of Immunity, two groups have investigated the role of putative enhancers in the CD8 locus. The deletion of three different elements in the intergeneic region between CD8 beta and CD8 alpha provides evidence for control at the level of chromatin accessibility.
Hedrick
Stephen M
SM
Department of Biology and The Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. shedrick@ucsd.edu
D000818:Animals; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D051379:Mice; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens