Runx3 and Runx1 are required for CD8 T cell development during thymopoiesis.

ABSTRACT: The RUNX transcription factors are important regulators of lineage-specific gene expression. RUNX are bifunctional, acting both as activators and repressors of tissue-specific target genes. Recently, we have demonstrated that Runx3 is a neurogenic transcription factor, which regulates development and survival of proprioceptive neurons in dorsal root ganglia. Here we report that Runx3 and Runx1 are highly expressed in thymic medulla and cortex, respectively, and function in development of CD8 T cells during thymopoiesis. Runx3-deficient (Runx3 KO) mice display abnormalities in CD4 expression during lineage decisions and impairment of CD8 T cell maturation in the thymus. A large proportion of Runx3 KO peripheral CD8 T cells also expressed CD4, and in contrast to wild-type, their proliferatio

SUBMITTER: Woolf E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC164656 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature