An immune-cell transcription factor tethers DNA together

A transcription factor in immune cells forms an unexpectedly ladder-like complex with two DNA molecules, allowing the expression of genes that these cells need to suppress harmful immune responses.

  1. Zhi Liu
    1. Zhi Liu is in the Shanghai Immune Therapy Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China.

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

    1. Ye Zheng is in the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

    The human immune system is meant to defend the body from pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. When the immune system goes awry, however, it can start to attack the body itself, resulting in autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. To prevent this from happening, the immune system has a braking mechanism, in the form of regulatory T (Treg) cells that rein in harmful immune reactions by suppressing the activity of other immune cells. The differentiation of Treg cells from precursor cells (a process referred to as Treg cell development) depends on a transcription factor called FOXP3, which turns genes on or off by binding to DNA. Writing in Nature, Zhang et al. 1 describe the ladder-like structure of a complex of ten FOXP3 proteins and two DNA molecules, which could be responsible for bringing remote regions of DNA together to control gene expression.

    Access options

    Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals

    Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription

    cancel any time

    Subscribe to this journal

    Receive 51 print issues and online access

    196,21 € per year

    only 3,85 € per issue

    Rent or buy this article

    Prices vary by article type

    Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

    Nature 624, 255-256 (2023)

    References

    1. Zhang, W. et al.Nature624, 433–441 (2023). ArticleGoogle Scholar
    2. Sakaguchi, S., Yamaguchi, T., Nomura, T. & Ono, M. Cell133, 775–787 (2008). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    3. Josefowicz, S. Z., Lu, L.-F. & Rudensky, A. Y. Annu. Rev. Immunol.30, 531–564 (2012). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    4. Bennett, C. L. et al.Nature Genet.27, 20–21 (2001). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    5. Brunkow, M. E. et al.Nature Genet.27, 68–73 (2001). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    6. Bandukwala, H. S. et al.Immunity34, 479–491 (2011). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    7. Leng, F. et al.Immunity55, 1354–1369 (2022). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    8. van der Veeken, J. et al.Immunity53, 971–984 (2020). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    9. Kitagawa, Y. et al.Nature Immunol.18, 173–183 (2017). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    10. Samstein, R. M. et al.Cell151, 153–166 (2012). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    11. Liu, Z., Lee, D. S., Liang, Y., Zheng, Y. & Dixon, J. Nature Commun.14, 6943 (2023). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    12. Ramirez, R. N., Chowdhary, K., Leon, J., Mathis, D. & Benoist, C. Sci. Immunol.7, eabj9836 (2022). PubMedGoogle Scholar
    13. Quintana, F. J. et al.PLoS ONE5, e9478 (2010). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    14. Rudra, D. et al.Nature Immunol.13, 1010–1019 (2012). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    15. Subramanian, S., Mishra, R. K. & Singh, L. Genome Biol. 4, R13 (2003). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
    16. Li, Y.-C., Korol, A. B., Fahima, T., Beiles, A. & Nevo, E. Mol. Ecol.11, 2453–2465 (2002). ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar

    Competing Interests

    The authors declare no competing interests.

    Related Articles

    Subjects

    Latest on:

    Molecular biology

    Red light, green light: flickering fluorophores reveal biochemistry in cells

    Red light, green light: flickering fluorophores reveal biochemistry in cells

    Technology Feature 12 SEP 24

    Structure of human TIP60-C histone exchange and acetyltransferase complex

    Article 11 SEP 24

    Heteromeric amyloid filaments of ANXA11 and TDP-43 in FTLD-TDP Type C

    Article 11 SEP 24

    Immunology

    Gasdermin D-mediated metabolic crosstalk promotes tissue repair

    Article 11 SEP 24

    The pharmaceutical industry must embrace synthetic alternatives to horseshoe-crab blood

    Correspondence 10 SEP 24

    Mpox: apply COVID lessons to control outbreak in Africa

    Mpox: apply COVID lessons to control outbreak in Africa

    Editorial 10 SEP 24

    Structural biology

    Structure of human TIP60-C histone exchange and acetyltransferase complex

    Article 11 SEP 24

    Heteromeric amyloid filaments of ANXA11 and TDP-43 in FTLD-TDP Type C

    Article 11 SEP 24

    The hepatitis C virus envelope protein complex is a dimer of heterodimers

    The hepatitis C virus envelope protein complex is a dimer of heterodimers

    Article 04 SEP 24

    Jobs

    Faculty Position

    The Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology (ICOB), Academia Sinica, Taiwan, is seeking candidates to fill multiple tenure-track faculty position Taipei (TW) Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica

    Postdoctoral Associate

    Houston, Texas (US) Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)

    Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Energy

    Job Title: Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Energy Location: New York, Jersey City, Philadelphia or London — Hybrid Working Application Deadline. New York City, New York (US) Springer Nature Ltd

    Open Rank Tenure-track/Tenured Faculty Positions in the Department of Genetic and Genomic Sciences

    Seeking expertise in areas including Cancer Genetics; Artificial Intelligence; Drug Development & Clinical Trials; Functional Genomics; & Gene Editing New York City, New York (US) Mount Sinai Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences