A Repressor of GATA-Mediated Negative Feedback Mechanism of T Cell Activation

Abstract

The NF-AT family is a group of potent transcription factors that are essential for T cell activation in vitro. However, NF-ATc2-deficient Th cells display hyperproliferation in response to stimulation, suggesting that NF-ATc2 functions as a negative regulator of Th cell activation/proliferation. In this study we show that the transcriptional repressor of GATA (ROG) is a direct target gene of NF-ATc2 and that NF-ATc2-deficient Th cells are unable to fully up-regulate ROG upon stimulation. Restoration of ROG expression in vivo partly corrects the hyperproliferation of NF-ATc2-deficient Th cells by attenuating TCR signals. Our data, therefore, depict a ROG-mediated negative feedback mechanism of T cell activation.