Expanding roles for ThPOK in thymic development.
The role of the zinc finger transcription factor ThPOK (T-helper-inducing POZ-Kruppel-like factor) in promoting commitment of αβ T cells to the CD4 lineage is now well established. New results indicate that ThPOK is also important for the development and/or acquisition of effector functions by other T cell subsets, including several not marked by CD4 expression, i.e. double-negative invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, γδ cells, and even memory CD8(+) T cells. There is compelling evidence that ThPOK expression in most or all of these cases is dependent on T-cell receptor signaling and that differences in relative TCR signal strength/length may induce different levels of ThPOK expression. The developmental consequences of ThPOK expression vary according to cell type, which may partly reflect differences in ThPOK levels and/or in transcriptional networks between cell types.
Institute for Cancer Research, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA. dietmar.kappes@fccc.edu
Dietmar J
DJ
Kappes
D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000276:immunology; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D055611:Natural Killer T-Cells / Q000276:immunology; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000276:immunology*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D014157:Transcription Factors; C484225:ZBTB7B protein, human