The new study from Turku Bioscience provides new insights into how genetic variation associated with immune mediated diseases can influence T-cell function and regulation of immune response. The study was published in Nucleic Acid Research.

Researchers from Turku Bioscience identified for the first time the binding sites for three transcription factors in human T-cells, where they regulate cell function and differentiation. In addition, they showed that the binding sites for these transcription factors very often contain genetic variations associated with immune mediated diseases that can regulate T-cell function. This, in turn, may alter the immune response in general and contribute to susceptibility for immune mediated diseases.

T-cells orchestrate regulation of the immune response. They can also cause inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis or type 1 diabetes. InFLAMES Flagship group leaders professor Riitta Lahesmaa’s and professor Laura Elo’s research groups revealed how three transcription factors co-operate to regulate human T-cell function in a different fashion compared to  mouse T-cells.

– We used genome-wide methods to show that these three transcription factors bind to a high number of DNA binding sites in the nuclei of the T-cells, comments Professor Elo.
– and we found that that interplay between these factors regulates early T-cell  differentiation in human by controlling expression of numerous genes, adds Dr. Ankitha Shetty.

The results provide new insights into molecular mechanisms of regulation of T-cell functions and immune response.

The study was funded by the Academy of Finland, EU Horizon 2020, The Sigrid Jusélius Foundation and Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.

Link to the paper:

A systematic comparison of FOSL1, FOSL2 and BATF-mediated transcriptional regulation during early human Th17 differentiation.

https://academic.oup.com/nar/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nar/gkac256/6574681#

Further information:

Riitta Lahesmaa, +358 40 718 4813, riitta.lahesmaa@utu.fi