The transcription factor T-bet has been most prominently linked to NK and T cell production of IFN-γ, a cytokine required for the control of a diverse array of intracellular pathogens. Indeed, in mice challenged with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, NK and T cell responses are characterized by marked increases of T-bet expression. Unexpectedly, T-bet−/− mice infected with T. gondii develop a strong NK cell IFN-γ response that controls parasite replication at the challenge site, but display high parasite burdens at secondary sites colonized by T. gondii and succumb to infection. The loss of T-bet had a modest effect on T cell production of IFN-γ but did not impact on the generation of parasite-specific T cells. However, the absence of T-bet resulted in lower T cell expression of CD11a, Ly6C, KLRG-1, and CXCR3 and fewer parasite-specific T cells at secondary sites of infection, associated with a defect in parasite control at these sites. Together, these data highlight T-bet–independent pathways to IFN-γ production and reveal a novel role for this transcription factor in coordinating the T cell responses necessary to control this infection in peripheral tissues.
CITATION STYLE
Harms Pritchard, G., Hall, A. O., Christian, D. A., Wagage, S., Fang, Q., Muallem, G., … Hunter, C. A. (2015). Diverse Roles for T-bet in the Effector Responses Required for Resistance to Infection. The Journal of Immunology, 194(3), 1131–1140. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.1401617
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