Regulation of T cell differentiation and function by epigenetic modification enzymes

• Published in: Seminars in immunopathology 2019-05, Vol.41 (3), p.315-326
• Main Authors: Liu, Huicheng, Li, Pingfei, Wei, Zhengping, Zhang, Cai, Xia, Minghui, Du, Qiuyang, Chen, Yufei, Liu, Na, Li, Huabin, Yang, Xiang-Ping
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Autoimmune diseases; Autoimmune Diseases - etiology; Autoimmune Diseases - metabolism; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; CD4 antigen; CD8 antigen; Cell activation; Cell Differentiation - genetics; Cell Differentiation - immunology; Cytokines; Demethylation; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases - genetics; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases - metabolism; DNA methylation; Enzymes; Epigenesis, Genetic; Epigenetics; Gene Expression Regulation; Histocompatibility; Histone Acetyltransferases - genetics; Histone Acetyltransferases - metabolism; Histone Deacetylases - genetics; Histone Deacetylases - metabolism; Histone Demethylases - genetics; Histone Demethylases - metabolism; Histones - metabolism; Humans; Immunology; Immunomodulation; Internal Medicine; Lymphocyte Activation - genetics; Lymphocyte Activation - immunology; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Multigene Family; Protein Transport; Review; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - enzymology; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - metabolism; Thymus; Transcription factors; Tumorigenesis
• ISSN: 1863-2297; 1863-2300
• DOI: 10.1007/s00281-019-00731-w

Peripheral naive CD4 + and CD8 + cells are developed in the thymus and proliferate and differentiate into various specialized T cell subsets upon activation by peptide-major histocompatibility complexes in periphery to execute different functions during immune responses. Cytokines, transcription factors, and a large number of intracellular molecules have been shown to affect T cell development, activation, and function. In addition, epigenetic modifications, such as histone modification and DNA methylation, regulate T cell biology. The epigenetic modifications are regulated by a range of DNA methyltransferases, DNA demethylation enzymes, and histone modification enzymes. Dysregulations of epigenetic modifications are closely associated with autoimmune diseases and tumorigenesis. Here, we review the current literature about the functions of DNA and histone modification enzymes in T cell development, activation, differentiation, and function.