2004

Autoimmune inflammation, such as in rheumatoid arthritis, is characterized by activated Th1 cells without sufficient Th2 differentiation that might downmodulate the chronic immune response. Delineation of the mechanisms that control T-cell differentiation is therefore of major importance for the understanding of the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. The transcription factor GATA-3 has been implicated in regulating Th2 cell differentiation in murine T cells in vitro, but its role in vivo and, in particular, in human T-cell differentiation is currently unknown. To dissect the role of GATA-3 in human T-cell differentiation and T-cell-mediated effector functions, we used the unique opportuni…