Regulation of positive and negative selection and TCR signaling during thymic T cell development by capicua

Abstract

Central tolerance is achieved through positive and negative selection of thymocytes mediated by T cell receptor (TCR) signaling strength. Thus, the dysregulation of the thymic selection process often leads to autoimmunity. Here, we show that capicua (CIC), a transcriptional repressor that suppresses autoimmunity, controls the thymic selection process. Loss of CIC prior to T-cell lineage commitment impaired both positive and negative selection of thymocytes. CIC deficiency attenuated TCR signaling in CD4+CD8+ double-positive (DP) cells, as evidenced by a decrease in CD5 and phospho-ERK levels and calcium flux. We identified Spry4, Dusp4, Dusp6, and Spred1 as CIC target genes that could inhibit TCR signaling in DP cells. Furthermore, impaired positive selection and TCR signaling were partially rescued in Cic and Spry4 double mutant mice. Our findings indicate that CIC is a transcription factor required for thymic T cell development and suggest that CIC acts at multiple stages of T cell development and differentiation to prevent autoimmunity.