Depletion of c-Rel from Cytokine Gene Promoters Is Required for Chromatin Reassembly and Termination of Gene Responses to T Cell Activation

作者：Poke Fiona S^*; Upcher William R; Sprod Owen R; Young Arabella; Brettingham Moore Kate H; Holloway Adele F

来源：PLos One, 2012, 7(7): e41734.

DOI：10.1371/journal.pone.0041734

The role of the Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) transcription factor family in T cell function has been well described. The c-Rel family member is of particular importance in initiating T cell responses to antigen and regulating activation of inflammatory cytokine genes, including the Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and Granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) genes. c-Rel is required for chromatin remodeling of these gene promoters, which involves depletion of histones from the promoters in response to T cell activating signals. These chromatin remodeling events precede transcriptional activation of the genes. The subsequent down-regulation of cytokine gene expression is important in the termination of an immune response and here we examine this process at the murine GM-CSF and IL-2 genes. We show that the cytokine mRNA levels rapidly return to basal levels following stimulus removal and this is associated with reassembly of histones onto the promoter. Histone reassembly at the GM-CSF and IL-2 promoters occurs concomitantly with depletion of RelA, c-Rel and RNA polymerase II from the promoters. Furthermore we show that transcriptional down-regulation and chromatin reassembly is dependent on depletion of c-Rel from the nucleus, and that this is regulated by the nuclear translocation of the NF-kappa B inhibitor, I kappa B alpha. The nuclear activation of c-Rel therefore not only regulates the initiation of GM-CSF and IL-2 gene activation in response to T cell activation, but also the termination of these gene responses following the removal of the activating signal.

• 出版日期2012-7-30