The transcription factor Runx3 guards cytotoxic CD8 + effector T cells against deviation towards follicular helper T cell lineage

  • Qiang Shan
  • , Zhouhao Zeng
  • , Shaojun Xing
  • , Fengyin Li
  • , Stacey M. Hartwig
  • , Jodi A. Gullicksrud
  • , Samarchith P. Kurup
  • , Natalija Van Braeckel-Budimir
  • , Yao Su
  • , Matthew D. Martin
  • , Steven M. Varga
  • , Ichiro Taniuchi
  • , John T. Harty
  • , Weiqun Peng
  • , Vladimir P. Badovinac
  • , Hai Hui Xue

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

120 Scopus citations

Abstract

Activated CD8 + T cells differentiate into cytotoxic effector (T EFF) cells that eliminate target cells. How T EFF cell identity is established and maintained is not fully understood. We found that Runx3 deficiency limited clonal expansion and impaired upregulation of cytotoxic molecules in T EFF cells. Runx3-deficient CD8 + T EFF cells aberrantly upregulated genes characteristic of follicular helper T (T FH) cell lineage, including Bcl6, Tcf7 and Cxcr5. Mechanistically, the Runx3-CBFβ transcription factor complex deployed H3K27me3 to Bcl6 and Tcf7 genes to suppress the T FH program. Ablating Tcf7 in Runx3-deficient CD8 + T EFF cells prevented the upregulation of T FH genes and ameliorated their defective induction of cytotoxic genes. As such, Runx3-mediated Tcf7 repression coordinately enforced acquisition of cytotoxic functions and protected the cytotoxic lineage integrity by preventing T FH -lineage deviation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)931-939
Number of pages9
JournalNature immunology
Volume18
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 19 2017
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Nature America, Inc.Part of Springer Nature All Rights Reserved.

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