Two novel and related C 2 H 2 zinc finger proteins that are highly expressed in the brain, CTIP1 and CTIP2 (COUP TF-interacting proteins 1 and 2, respectively), were isolated and shown to interact with all members of the chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor (COUP-TF) subfamily of orphan nuclear receptors. The interaction of CTIP1 with ARP1 was studied in detail, and CTIP1 was found to harbor two independent ARP1 interaction domains, ID1 and ID2, whereas the putative AF-2 of ARP1 was required for interaction with CTIP1. CTIP1, which exhibited a punctate staining pattern within the nucleus of transfected cells, recruited cotransfected ARP1 to these foci and potentiated ARP1-mediated transcriptional repression of a reporter construct. However, transcriptional repression mediated by ARP1 acting through CTIP1 did not appear to involve recruitment of a trichostatin A-sensitive histone deacetylase(s) to the template, suggesting that this repression pathway may be distinct from that utilized by several other nuclear receptors.COUP-TFI, 1 ARP1/COUP-TFII, and Ear2/COUP-TFIII have been grouped in the same subfamily of orphan nuclear receptors based on sequence similarity (1-3), evolutionary analysis (4), and a common capacity to repress ligand-dependent transcriptional activation of target genes mediated by other nuclear receptors, such as retinoic acid (5-10), thyroid hormone (8), estrogen (11)(12)(13)(14), and vitamin D 3 (9) receptors as well as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα;Ref. 15).COUP-TFs play important roles in pattern formation in the developing nervous systems of Xenopus (16) and Drosophila (17). Deletion of the COUP-TFI gene in the mouse results in * This work was supported in part by American Heart Association Grant 9640219N; NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Grants ES00210 and ES00040; the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy; and the Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.© 2000 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. ∥ An established investigator of the American Heart Association. To whom correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed: MATERIALS AND METHODS Yeast Two-hybrid Screening and cDNA CloningYeast two-hybrid screening was conducted as described previously (21) using the hinge region and putative ligand binding domain of ARP1 (amino acids 144-414) as a bait. Fragments corresponding to CTIP1 and CTIP2 (see Fig. 1A) were used to screen mouse cDNA libraries obtained from CLON-TECH and from Dr. René Hen (Columbia University), yielding several overlapping clones. These overlapping clones were then used to prepare a full-length CTIP1 construct that was inserted into the eukaryotic expression vector, pCDNA3+ (Invitrogen). Yeast β-Galactosidase Assays and GST Pull-down ExperimentsProtein-p...

BCL11 genes play crucial roles in lymphopoiesis and have been associated with hematopoietic malignancies. Specifically, disruption of the BCL11B (B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia/lymphoma 11B) locus is linked to T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and the loss of heterozygosity in mice results in T-cell lymphoma. BCL11 proteins are related C 2 H 2 zinc-finger transcription factors that act as transcriptional repressors. Here, we demonstrate the association of the endogenous BCL11B with the nucleosome remodeling and histone deacetylase (NuRD) complex, one of the major transcriptional corepressor complexes in mammalian cells. BCL11B complexes from T lymphocytes possess trichostatin A-sensitive histone deacetylase activity, confirming the functionality of the complexes. Analysis of the BCL11B-NuRD association demonstrated that BCL11B directly interacted with the metastasis-associated proteins MTA1 and MTA2 through the amino-terminal region. We provide evidence for the functional requirement of MTA1 in transcriptional repression mediated by BCL11B through the following: (1) overexpression of MTA1 enhanced the transcriptional repression mediated by BCL11B, (2) knockdown of MTA1 expression by small interfering RNA inhibited BCL11B transcriptional repression activity and (3) MTA1 was specifically recruited to a BCL11B targeted promoter. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that the NuRD complex mediates transcriptional repression function of BCL11B.

Transcriptional control of gene expression in double-positive (DP) thymocytes remains poorly understood. We show that the transcription factor BCL11B plays a critical role in DP thymocytes by controlling positive selection of both CD4 and CD8 lineages. BCL11B-deficient DP thymocytes rearrange T cell receptor (TCR) α; however, they display impaired proximal TCR signaling and attenuated extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation and calcium flux, which are all required for initiation of positive selection. Further, provision of transgenic TCRs did not improve positive selection of BCL11B-deficient DP thymocytes. BCL11B-deficient DP thymocytes have altered expression of genes with a role in positive selection, TCR signaling, and other signaling pathways intersecting the TCR, which may account for the defect. BCL11B-deficient DP thymocytes also presented increased susceptibility to spontaneous apoptosis associated with high levels of cleaved caspase-3 and an altered balance of proapoptotic/prosurvival factors. This latter susceptibility was manifested even in the absence of TCR signaling and was only partially rescued by provision of the BCL2 transgene, indicating that control of DP thymocyte survival by BCL11B is nonredundant and, at least in part, independent of BCL2 prosurvival factors.

Chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor (COUP-TF)-interacting proteins 1 and 2 [CTIP1/Evi9/B cell leukaemia (Bcl) l1a and CTIP2/Bcl11b respectively] are highly related C(2)H(2) zinc finger proteins that are abundantly expressed in brain and the immune system, and are associated with immune system malignancies. A selection procedure was employed to isolate high-affinity DNA binding sites for CTIP1. The core binding site on DNA identified in these studies, 5'-GGCCGG-3' (upper strand), is highly related to the canonical GC box and was bound by a CTIP1 oligomeric complex(es) in vitro. Furthermore, both CTIP1 and CTIP2 repressed transcription of a reporter gene harbouring a multimerized CTIP binding site, and this repression was neither reversed by trichostatin A (an inhibitor of known class I and II histone deacetylases) nor stimulated by co-transfection of a COUP-TF family member. These results demonstrate that CTIP1 is a sequence-specific DNA binding protein and a bona fide transcriptional repressor that is capable of functioning independently of COUP-TF family members. These findings may be relevant to the physiological and/or pathological action(s) of CTIPs in cells that do not express COUP-TF family members, such as cells of the haematopoietic and immune systems.

Summary Type-2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) promote anti-helminth responses and contribute to allergies. Here we report that Bcl11b, previously considered a T-cell lineage identity transcription factor, acts directly upstream of the key ILC2 transcription factor Gfi1 to maintain its expression in mature ILC2s. Consequently, Bcl11b−/− ILC2s downregulated Gata3 and downstream genes, including Il1rl1, encoding IL-33 receptor, and upregulated Rorc and type-3 ILC (ILC3) genes. Additionally, independent of Gfi1, Bcl11b directly repressed expression of the ILC3 transcription factor Ahr, further contributing to silencing of ILC3 genes in ILC2s. Thus, Bcl11b−/− ILC2s lost their functions and gained ILC3 functions, expanding in response to the protease allergen papain, while at the same time producing ILC3, and not ILC2 cytokines, and causing increased airway infiltration of neutrophils instead of eosinophils. Our results broaden Bcl11b's role from a T-cell only transcription factor, and establish that Bcl11b sustains mature ILC2 genetic and functional programs and lineage fidelity.

SUMMARY Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are important for mucosal immunity. The intestine harbors all ILC subsets, but how these cells are balanced to achieve immune homeostasis and mount appropriate responses during infection remains elusive. Here, we show that aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) expression in the gut regulated ILC balance. Among ILCs, Ahr was most highly expressed by gut ILC2s, and controlled chromatin accessibility at the Ahr gene locus via positive feedback. Ahr signaling suppressed Gfi1 transcription factor-mediated expression of the interleukin 33 receptor ST2 in ILC2s and expression of ILC2 effector molecules IL-5, IL-13 and amphiregulin in a cell-intrinsic manner. Ablation of Ahr enhanced anti-helminth immunity in the gut, while genetic or pharmacological activation of Ahr suppressed ILC2 function but enhanced ILC3 maintenance to protect the host from Citrobacter rodentium infection. Thus, the host regulates the gut ILC2-ILC3 balance by engaging the Ahr pathway to mount appropriate immunity against various pathogens.

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Increased levels of IFN-γ are routinely observed in the respiratory tract following influenza virus infection, yet its potential role remains unclear. We now demonstrate that influenza-induced IFN-γ restricts protective innate lymphoid cell group II (ILC2) function in the lung following challenge with the pandemic H1N1 A/CA/04/2009 influenza virus. Specifically, IFN-γ deficiency resulted in enhanced ILC2 activity, characterized by increased production of IL-5 and amphiregulin, and improved tissue integrity, yet no change in ILC2 numbers, viral load or clearance. We further found that IFN-γ-deficient mice, as well as wild-type animals treated with neutralizing anti-IFN-γ antibody, exhibited decreased susceptibility to lethal infection with H1N1 A/CA/04/2009 influenza virus, and moreover that survival was dependent on the presence of IL-5. The beneficial effects of IFN-γ neutralization were not observed in ILC2-deficient animals. These data support the novel concept that IFN-γ can play a detrimental role in the pathogenesis of influenza through a restriction in ILC2 activity. Thus, regulation of ILC2 activity is a potential target for post-infection therapy of influenza.