Conditional mutagenesis in mice has recently been made possible through the combination of gene targeting techniques and site-directed mutagenesis, using the bacteriophage P1-derived Cre/loxP recombination system. The versatility of this approach depends on the availability of mouse mutants in which the recombinase Cre is expressed in the appropriate cell lineages or tissues. Here we report the generation of mice that express Cre in myeloid cells due to targeted insertion of the cre cDNA into their endogenous M lysozyme locus. In double mutant mice harboring both the LysMcre allele and one of two different loxP-flanked target genes tested, a deletion efficiency of 83-98% was determined in mature macrophages and near 100% in granulocytes. Partial deletion (16%) could be detected in CD11c+ splenic dendritic cells which are closely related to the monocyte/macrophage lineage. In contrast, no significant deletion was observed in tail DNA or purified T and B cells. Taken together, LysMcre mice allow for both specific and highly efficient Cre-mediated deletion of loxP-flanked target genes in myeloid cells.

Iimmune regulatory proteins such as CIITA, NAIP, IPAF, NOD1, NOD2, NALP1, cryopyrin/ NALP3 are members of a family characterized by the presence of a nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) and leucine-rich repeats (LRR). Members of this gene family encode a protein structure similar to the NB-LRR subgroup of disease-resistance genes in plants and are involved in the sensing of pathogenic products and the regulation of cell signaling and apoptosis. Several members of this family have been associated with immunologic disorders. NOD2 for instance is associated with both Crohn's disease and Blau syndrome.

In response to inflammatory stimulation, dendritic cells (DCs) have a remarkable pattern of differentiation (maturation) that exhibits specific mechanisms to control immunity. Here, we show that in response to Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), several microRNAs (miRNAs) are regulated in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells. Among these miRNAs, miR-155 is highly up-regulated during maturation. Using LNA silencing combined to microarray technology, we have identified the Toll-like receptor/interleukin-1 (TLR/IL-1) inflammatory pathway as a general target of miR-155. We further demonstrate that miR-155 directly controls the level of TAB2, an important signal transduction molecule. Our observations suggest, therefore, that in mature human DCs, miR-155 is part of a negative feedback loop, which down-modulates inflammatory cytokine production in response to microbial stimuli.bic/miR-155 ͉ LPS ͉ TAB2 ͉ TLR/IL-1 pathway

MHC class II molecules are pivotal for the adaptive immune system, because they guide the development and activation of CD4+ T helper cells. Fulfilling these functions requires that the genes encoding MHC class II molecules are transcribed according to a strict cell-type-specific and quantitatively modulated pattern. This complex gene-expression profile is controlled almost exclusively by a single master regulatory factor, which is known as the class II transactivator. As we discuss here, differential activation of the three independent promoters that drive expression of the gene encoding the class II transactivator ultimately determines the exquisitely regulated pattern of MHC class II gene expression.

The bare lymphocyte syndrome (BLS) is a hereditary immunodeficiency resulting from the absence of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) expression. Considering the central role of MHCII molecules in the development and activation of CD4(+) T cells, it is not surprising that the immune system of the patients is severely impaired. BLS is the prototype of a "disease of gene regulation." The affected genes encode RFXANK, RFX5, RFXAP, and CIITA, four regulatory factors that are highly specific and essential for MHCII genes. The first three are subunits of RFX, a trimeric complex that binds to all MHCII promoters. CIITA is a non-DNA-binding coactivator that functions as the master control factor for MHCII expression. The study of RFX and CIITA has made major contributions to our comprehension of the molecular mechanisms controlling MHCII genes and has made this system into a textbook model for the regulation of gene expression.

Inflammatory CD4+ T cell responses to self or commensal bacteria underlie the pathogenesis of autoimmunity and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), respectively. While selection of self-specific T cells in the thymus limits responses to tissue antigens, the mechanisms that control selection of commensal bacteria-specific T cells remain poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that group 3 innate lymphoid cell (ILC3)-intrinsic expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) is regulated similarly to thymic epithelial cells, and that MHCII+ ILC3s directly induce cell death of activated commensal bacteria-specific T cells. Further, MHCII on human colonic ILC3s was reduced in pediatric IBD patients. Collectively, these results define a selection pathway for commensal bacteria-specific CD4+ T cells in the intestine, and suggest that this process is dysregulated in human IBD.

Precise regulation of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) gene expression plays a crucial role in the control of the immune response. A major breakthrough in the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms involved in MHC-II regulation has recently come from the study of patients that suffer from a primary immunodeficiency resulting from regulatory defects in MHC-II expression. A genetic complementation cloning approach has led to the isolation of CIITA and RFX5, two essential MHC-II gene transactivators. CIITA and RFX5 are mutated in these patients, and the wild-type genes are capable of correcting their defect in MHC-II expression. The identification of these regulatory factors has furthered our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate MHC-II genes. CIITA was found to be a non-DNA binding transactivator that functions as a molecular switch controlling both constitutive and inducible MHC-II expression. The finding that RFX5 is a subunit of the nuclear RFX-complex has confirmed that a deficiency in the binding of this complex is indeed the molecular basis for MHC-II deficiency in the majority of patients. Furthermore, the study of RFX has demonstrated that MHC-II promoter activity is dependent on the binding of higher-order complexes that are formed by highly specific cooperative binding interactions between certain MHC-II promoter-binding proteins. Two of these proteins belong to families of which the other members, although capable of binding to the same DNA motifs, are probably not directly involved in the control of MHC-II expression. Finally, the facts that CIITA and RFX5 are both essential and highly specific for MHC-II genes make possible novel strategies designed to achieve immunomodulation via transcriptional intervention.

Regulatory factor X (RFX) proteins are transcriptional activators that recognize X-boxes (DNA of the sequence 5'-GTNRCC(0-3N)RGYAAC-3', where N is any nucleotide, R is a purine and Y is a pyrimidine) using a highly conserved 76-residue DNA-binding domain (DBD). DNA-binding defects in the protein RFX5 cause bare lymphocyte syndrome or major histocompatibility antigen class II deficiency. RFX1, -2 and -3 regulate expression of other medically important gene products (for example, interleukin-5 receptor alpha chain, IL-5R alpha). Fusions of the ligand-binding domain of the oestrogen receptor with the DBD of RFX4 occur in some human breast tumours. Here we present a 1.5 A-resolution structure of two copies of the DBD of human RFX1 (hRFX1) binding cooperatively to a symmetrical X-box. hRFX1 is an unusual member of the winged-helix subfamily of helix-turn-helix proteins because it uses a beta-hairpin (or wing) to recognize DNA instead of the recognition helix typical of helix-turn-helix proteins. A new model for interactions between linker histones and DNA is proposed.