奥地利研究人员日前报告说，他们发现了参与免疫细胞——T细胞形成的一种关键因子。这一研究成果刊登在新一期英国《自然·免疫学》杂志上。
T细胞是淋巴细胞的一种，在免疫反应中扮演着重要角色。按照功能的不同，T细胞可以分成细胞毒T细胞和辅助T细胞等很多种类。其中细胞毒T细胞能够消灭感染细胞，而辅助T细胞可通过增生扩散来激活其他可产生直接免疫反应的免疫细胞。细胞毒T细胞和辅助T细胞都产生于共同先驱细胞，即双阳性胸腺细胞。
维也纳医科大学病理生理学专家维尔弗里德·艾梅尔领导的研究小组发现，一种名为MAZR的转录因子参与了双阳性胸腺细胞、细胞毒T细胞以及辅助T细胞的形成过程。
艾梅尔说，如果MAZR缺失，双阳性胸腺细胞就会转化成辅助T细胞，反之就会形成细胞毒T细胞。(生物谷Bioon.com)
生物谷推荐原文出处：
Nature Immunology doi:10.1038/ni.1860
The zinc-finger protein MAZR is part of the transcription factor network that controls the CD4 versus CD8 lineage fate of double-positive thymocytes
Shinya Sakaguchi1, Matthias Hombauer1,5, Ivan Bilic1,3,5, Yoshinori Naoe2,4, Alexandra Schebesta1, Ichiro Taniuchi2 & Wilfried Ellmeier1
The CD4 versus CD8 lineage specification of thymocytes is linked to coreceptor expression. The transcription factor MAZR has been identified as an important regulator of Cd8 expression. Here we show that variegated CD8 expression by loss of Cd8 enhancers was reverted in MAZR-deficient mice, which confirms that MAZR negatively regulates the Cd8 loci during the transition to the double-positive (DP) stage. Moreover, loss of MAZR led to partial redirection of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I–restricted thymocytes into CD4+ helper-like T cells, which correlated with derepression of Th-POK, a central transcription factor for helper-lineage development. MAZR bound the silencer of the gene encoding Th-POK, which indicated direct regulation of this locus by MAZR. Thus, MAZR is part of the transcription factor network that regulates the CD8 lineage differentiation of DP thymocytes.
