Staphylococcal enterotoxin A-activated regulatory T cells promote allergen-specific T2 response to intratracheal allergen inoculation.

Background: T2 responses are implicated in asthma pathobiology. Epidemiologic studies have found a positive association between asthma and exposure to staphylococcal enterotoxins.

Objective: We used a mouse model of asthma to determine whether staphylococcal enterotoxins promote T2 differentiation of allergen-specific CD4 conventional T (Tcon) cells and asthma by activating allergen-nonspecific regulatory T (Treg) cells to create a T2-polarizing cytokine milieu.

Rapid and unambiguous detection of DNase I hypersensitive site in rare population of cells.

DNase I hypersensitive (DHS) sites are important for understanding cis regulation of gene expression. However, existing methods for detecting DHS sites in small numbers of cells can lead to ambiguous results. Here we describe a simple new method, in which DNA fragments with ends generated by DNase I digestion are isolated and used as templates for two PCR reactions.

'All things considered': transcriptional regulation of T helper type 2 cell differentiation from precursor to effector activation.

T helper type 2 (Th2) cells are critical to host defence against helminth infection and the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. The differentiation of Th2 cells from naive CD4 T cells is controlled by intricate transcriptional mechanisms. At the precursor stage of naive CD4 T cells, transcriptional mechanisms maintain the potential and in the meantime prevent spontaneous differentiation to Th2 fate.

Domain requirements for the diverse immune regulatory functions of foxp3.

Foxp3 is responsible for the major immunological features of Treg cells, including hypoproliferation in vitro, immune suppression of conventional T cells and resistance to Th2 cell differentiation. In addition to the Forkhead domain, the Foxp3 protein contains the N-terminal, zinc finger and leucine zipper domains. To understand how these domains contribute to Foxp3 functions, we systematically compared the roles of these domains in determining the 3 major immunological features of Treg cells.

Immune suppressive activity and lack of T helper differentiation are differentially regulated in natural regulatory T cells.

The mechanism for controlling Th cytokine expression in natural regulatory T (nTreg) cells is unclear. Here, it was found that under polarizing conditions Foxp3 did not affect Th1 cell, partially inhibited Th17 cell, but greatly inhibited Th2 cell differentiation of conventional CD4 T cells. Under the polarizing conditions, nTreg cells failed to differentiate into Th2 and Th17 cells, but differentiated into IFN-gamma-producing cells.

Susceptibility to autoimmunity and B cell resistance to apoptosis in mice lacking androgen receptor in B cells.

Estrogens have been linked to a higher female incidence of autoimmune diseases. The role of androgen and the androgen receptor (AR) in autoimmune diseases, however, remains unclear. Here we report that the lack of AR in B cells in different strains of mice, namely general AR knockout, B cell-specific AR knockout, and naturally occurring testicular feminization mutation AR-mutant mice, as well as castrated wild-type mice, results in increased B cells in blood and bone marrow.

Interaction between GATA-3 and the transcriptional coregulator Pias1 is important for the regulation of Th2 immune responses.

Th2 cytokine expression is dependent on the transcription factor GATA-3. However, the molecular interactions of GATA-3 leading to Th2 cytokine gene activation have not been well characterized. Here, we reported a number of GATA-3 associated proteins in Th2 cells, and one of such proteins Pias1 functioned as a positive transcriptional coregulator for GATA-3.

Temporal and spatial changes of histone 3 K4 dimethylation at the IFN-gamma gene during Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation.

Covalent modification of nucleosomal histones is an important mechanism for cytokine gene regulation in Th1 and Th2 cells. In this study, we analyzed the kinetics of histone H3 K4 dimethylation (H3K4me2) of the IFN-gamma gene. Minimal levels of H3K4me2 were found in naive CD4 T cells.

[Evaluation of bone marrow biopsy and smear examinations in differential diagnosis for patients with pancytopenia by simultaneously compartive study].

To simultaneously compare and evaluate the examinations of bone marrow smear and trephine biopsy in differential diagnosis and therapeutical effect of pancytopenia patients, the differences between bone marrow smear and trephine biopsy in degree of cellularity, misdiagnosis rate and therapeutical effect for 71 patients with pancytopenia were analyzed. The results showed that the degree of cellularity in bone marrow biopsy for cytologic morphology was higher than that from the smear, but misdiagnosis rate in the biopsy was lower than that in the smear. In conclusion, bone marrow biopsy is necessary to the differential diagnosis and more valuable for evaluation of therapeutical effect and prognosis of pancytopenia patients.