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Volume 8 Issue 5, May 2007

As a nudge produces a cascade of toppling dominos, a transcription factor initiates a series of cellular processes that subsequently direct lymphocyte lineage differentiation. The resulting lineage identity is malleable, however, sometimes 'bending' with changes in the lineage specification factors present. In a series of specially commissioned articles this month, we focus on transcription factors that influence lymphocyte lineage specification. These pieces and additional material are available free online (www.nature.com/ni/focus/lymphocytespecification/index.html) during May 2007. Artwork by Lewis Long.

Volume 8 Issue 5

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Editorial

  • Understanding how transcription factors direct lymphocyte lineage determination requires appreciation of the myriad ways in which they interact with and influence other cellular processes.

    Editorial

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Overview

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Essay

  • Blimp-1 is a transcription factor that affects the expression of hundreds of genes in lymphocytes. Recent work confirmed its role in the maturation of B cells into immunoglobulin-secreting plasmablasts, as well as in the control of T cell homeostasis and tolerance. What follows is a short history of how Blimp-1 was discovered.

    • Mark M Davis
    Essay

  • Discovering the transcription factors that direct lineage commitment in the T helper cell was a formidable task. Laurie Glimcher describes how she and Susanne Szabo hunted down T-bet, a transcription factor that is a 'master regulator' of commitment to the T helper type 1 lineage.

    • Laurie H Glimcher
    Essay
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Review Article

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Research Highlights

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Correspondence

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News & Views

  • The immune system has several signaling pathways that detect invading pathogens. When activated in certain conditions, these pathways can also serve to exacerbate or even cause autoimmune disease.

    • Arthur M Krieg
    News & Views

  • Smad7 controls inflammation by negatively regulating activation of the transcription factor NF-κB. New work shows that Smad7 inhibits NF-κB by binding to the regulatory proteins TAB2 and TAB3, thereby blocking association of the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRAF2 with the kinase TAK1.

    • Rashu B Seth
    • Zhijian J Chen
    News & Views

  • Epithelial NF-κB preserves the integrity of the gut epithelial barrier and coordinates the antimicrobial actions of the innate and adaptive immune systems. Deficiency in or hyperactivation of this transcription factor results in chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

    • Yinon Ben-Neriah
    • Marc Schmidt-Supprian
    News & Views

  • Self-reactive B cells are subject to several mechanisms to ensure self-tolerance. The epithelium-derived cytokine TSLP acts to regulate B cell tolerance by targeting B cell precursors rather than mature B cells.

    • David Allman
    • Dan Northrup
    News & Views
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Research Highlights

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Article

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Focus

  • An overview, three review articles and two personal essays discuss the identification and function of transcription factors that regulate the differentiation of lymphocyte lineages.

    Focus
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