Kruppel-like factor 2 controls T cell trafficking by activating L-selectin (CD62L) and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 transcription

A Bai, H Hu, M Yeung, J Chen - The Journal of Immunology, 2007 - journals.aai.org
A Bai, H Hu, M Yeung, J Chen
The Journal of Immunology, 2007journals.aai.org
Krüppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) is a member of zinc-finger transcription factors. Based on its
expression in naive and memory T cells and the activated phenotype of few T cells in mice
lacking KLF2 in the lymphoid lineage, KLF2 is postulated to regulate T cell homeostasis by
promoting cell quiescence. In this study, we show that in reporter gene assays KLF2 directly
activates the promoters of both CD62L and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P1),
whose expression is critical for T cell egress from the thymus and homing to the lymph …
Abstract
Krüppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) is a member of zinc-finger transcription factors. Based on its expression in naive and memory T cells and the activated phenotype of few T cells in mice lacking KLF2 in the lymphoid lineage, KLF2 is postulated to regulate T cell homeostasis by promoting cell quiescence. In this study, we show that in reporter gene assays KLF2 directly activates the promoters of both CD62L and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P1), whose expression is critical for T cell egress from the thymus and homing to the lymph nodes. Correspondingly, exogenous KLF2 expression in primary T cells significantly up-regulates both CD62L and S1P1. Following adoptive transfer, KLF2-transduced T cells are much more efficient in homing to lymphoid organs than nontransduced T cells. These findings suggest that KLF2 regulates T cell homeostasis at least partly by controlling CD62L and S1P1 expression, and therefore T cell egress from the thymus and circulation in the periphery.
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