title: T-box proteins differentially activate the expression of the endogenous interferon gamma gene versus transfected reporter genes in non-immune cells.
abstract: The T-box transcription factor T-bet is expressed in a number of hematopoetic cell types and plays an essential role in the lineage determination of Th1 T-helper cells. In the absence of T-bet, CD4(+) T-cells fail to induce IFNgamma, the cytokine whose expression characterizes Th1 cells. Here we show that, surprisingly, T-bet induces the expression of endogenous IFNgamma in non-immune human cells, including 293 and other cell lines. Thus T-bet can induce IFNgamma expression independently of its role in T-cell lineage determination. In addition, mutations in T-bet, and chimeras of T-bet with other transcription factors including the T-box transcription factor, TBX2, differentially affect the ability of T-bet to activate expression of endogenous IFNgamma versus a T-site regulated reporter gene. A truncated T-betVp16 fusion protein strongly activates the T-site reporter but fails to activate endogenous IFNgamma. Conversely, native T-bet strongly activates endogenous IFNgamma expression but only weakly activates the reporter gene. Fusion of the Vp16 activation domain to full-length T-bet greatly increases its activation of both endogenous IFNgamma and transfected T-site reporter gene expression. In contrast, TBX2Vp16 potently activates the T-site reporter but has a negligible effect on endogenous IFNgamma expression. Butyrate treatment of T-bet expressing cells potentiates the expression of endogenous IFNgamma but weakly represses expression of the T-site reporter gene. These data indicate that induction of endogenous IFNgamma can be uncoupled from differentiation into the Th1 lineage and that the expression of endogenous IFNgamma versus a T-site reporter gene is differentially regulated by T-bet and other T-box proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
authors.forename: Nataliya V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Butz
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gronostajski
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics*; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics; D008954:Models, Biological; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor
chemical_list: D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D004247:DNA; D008156:Luciferases