Download or read book Regulation of Gene Expression in T Lymphocytes by the Transcription Factor Runx3 written by Ivana Djuretic and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: T lymphocytes have served as a model system for studying gene regulation and cell fate decisions in many laboratories over the last two decades. In particular, the differentiation of antigen-inexperienced (naïve) T helper cells upon encounter of antigen has received the most attention, as this process can be very efficiently and accurately recapitulated in vitro. T helper (T H) differentiation results in the acquisition of specialized effector functions (i.e. secretion of cytokines) that enable T helper cells to direct appropriate and effective immune responses against a great diversity of pathogens. Thus, dramatic changes in transcriptional profiles occur during this process resulting in selective activation and silencing of the transcriptional potential of cytokine genes (e.g. activation of interferon-gamma [IFN-[gamma]] and silencing of interleukin-4 [IL-4] during T helper-1 differentiation). In an effort to study the mechanism of silencing of one essential T helper cytokine, IL-4, we discovered a role for the Runx family of transcription factors in T H differentiation.