GSE122030
DNA methylation profiling of human CD4+ T helper cells reveals the epigenetic control of SLAMF7 expression in IFN-? producing cells
Naive CD4+T cells are highly plastic cells that - upon activation - can differentiate into various T helper (Th) cell fates characterized by the expression of specific transcription factors and effector cytokines. Their expression can be stabilized by epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation. So far, our knowledge about the link between DNA methylation and T helper cell differentiation processes is fragmentary. After the identification of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in human T helper cells we enlarged the characterization by analysing the transcriptome of ex vivo isolated and sorted naive T cells, Th1 and Th17 cells. This enables us to study the differential gene expression among CD4+T helper subsets, identify links between transcriptome and methylome, and search for expressed transcription factors that could bind to DMRs. Overall design: low input RNA seq from human ex vivo isolated Th1, Th17 and naive T cells