Human Sox4 facilitates the development of CXCL13-producing helper T cells in inflammatory environments.

ABSTRACT: In human inflammatory sites, PD-1^hiCXCR5^-CD4⁺ T cells are involved in the formation of ectopic lymphoid-like structures (ELSs) by the secretion of chemokine CXCL13, but how the transcription of CXCL13 is regulated in CD4⁺ T cells is still unclear. Here we show that Sox4 is a key transcription factor for CXCL13 production in human CD4⁺ T cells under inflammatory conditions. In vitro TGF-β⁺, IL-2-neutralizing culture conditions give rise to PD-1^hiCXCR5^-CD4⁺ T cells that preferentially express CXCL13, and transcriptome analysis and lentiviral overexpression indicate Sox4 association with the CXCL13 transcription. In vivo, Sox4 is significantly upregulated in synovial CD4⁺ T cells, whe

SUBMITTER: Yoshitomi H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6145936 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature