GATA-3 - not just for Th2 cells anymore.
GATA-3 was first cloned as a T cell specific transcription factor in 1991 and its importance in the transcriptional control of T helper type 2 cell (Th2) differentiation was established in the mid to late 90's. A role for GATA-3 during thymic development has long implied by its continuous and regulated expression through out T lineage development, but the absolute requirement for GATA-3 during early T lymphoid commitment/survival previously precluded definitive answers to this question. Several technical breakthroughs have fueled fruitful investigation in recent years and uncovered unexpected and critical roles for GATA-3 in CD4 thymocyte survival, invariant natural killer T cell generation and function, and also in beta selection. Not only does GATA-3 participate in nearly every stage of T cell development from common lymphoid progenitor to Th2, conditional knockout studies have indicated that the influence of GATA-3 also extends beyond the immune system.
Ho
I-Cheng
IC
Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. iho@partners.org
Pai
Sung-Yun
SY
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D050990:GATA3 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*
D050990:GATA3 Transcription Factor