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TSC1 regulates the balance between effector and regulatory T cells
Yoon Park, Hyung-Seung Jin, Justine Lopez, Chris Elly, Gisen Kim, Masako Murai, Mitchell Kronenberg, Yun-Cai Liu
Yoon Park, Hyung-Seung Jin, Justine Lopez, Chris Elly, Gisen Kim, Masako Murai, Mitchell Kronenberg, Yun-Cai Liu
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Research Article

TSC1 regulates the balance between effector and regulatory T cells

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Abstract

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays a crucial role in the control of T cell fate determination; however, the precise regulatory mechanism of the mTOR pathway is not fully understood. We found that T cell–specific deletion of the gene encoding tuberous sclerosis 1 (TSC1), an upstream negative regulator of mTOR, resulted in augmented Th1 and Th17 differentiation and led to severe intestinal inflammation in a colitis model. Conditional Tsc1 deletion in Tregs impaired their suppressive activity and expression of the Treg marker Foxp3 and resulted in increased IL-17 production under inflammatory conditions. A fate-mapping study revealed that Tsc1-null Tregs that lost Foxp3 expression gained a stronger effector-like phenotype compared with Tsc1–/– Foxp3+ Tregs. Elevated IL-17 production in Tsc1–/– Treg cells was reversed by in vivo knockdown of the mTOR target S6K1. Moreover, IL-17 production was enhanced by Treg-specific double deletion of Tsc1 and Foxo3a. Collectively, these studies suggest that TSC1 acts as an important checkpoint for maintaining immune homeostasis by regulating cell fate determination.

Authors

Yoon Park, Hyung-Seung Jin, Justine Lopez, Chris Elly, Gisen Kim, Masako Murai, Mitchell Kronenberg, Yun-Cai Liu

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Figure 2

TSC1 deficiency promotes Th1 and Th17 differentiation.

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TSC1 deficiency promotes Th1 and Th17 differentiation.
(A) Naive CD4+ T ...
(A) Naive CD4+ T cells from WT and Cd4CreTsc1f/f mice were cultured under Th1- and Th17-polarizing condition for 5 days. IFN-γ–, IL-4–, or IL-17A–producing cells were analyzed by intracellular cytokine staining (ICCS) 6 hours after restimulation with anti-CD3/CD28. (B) Th1 and Th17 cell cytokine production was measured by ELISA 24 hours after restimulation with anti-CD3/CD28. (C) RT-PCR analysis of mRNA expression levels of Th subset–specific transcription factors in polarized Th1 or Th17 cells. Data are representative of (A) or compiled from (B and C) three to five independent experiments. Error bars indicate the mean ± SD. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001 by two-tailed, unpaired Student’s t test . (D) IFN-γ and IL-17 production (upper panel) and frequencies (lower panel) in T cells from recipient mice immunized with OVA/CFA. CD4+ T cells from WT or Cd4CreTsc1f/f OT-II mice were adoptively transferred into CD45.1 congenic B6 mice, followed by immunization with OVA/CFA. Splenocytes and lymph node cells obtained 6 days later were stimulated with OVA323–339 peptide for 24 hours and analyzed by ICCS and flow cytometry. (E) Immunization of WT and Cd4creTsc1f/f mice with KLH/CFA. CD4+T cells obtained 6 days later were stimulated with KLH for 72 hours, and the culture supernatants were analyzed by Bio-Plex multicytokine assay. Data are representative of (D) or compiled from (E) three independent experiments. Each symbol represents an individual mouse (n = 3). Error bars indicate the mean ± SD. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001 by two-tailed, unpaired Student’s t test.

Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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