Expression data comparing PLZF+/+, PLZF +/lu, PLZF lu/lu gammadelta NKT cells. Mus musculus

Natural killer (NKT) T cells exhibit tissue distribution, surface phenotype, and functional responses that are strikingly different from those of conventional T cells. The transcription factor PLZF is responsible for most of these properties, as its ectopic expression in conventional T cells is sufficient to confer to them an NKT-like phenotype. The molecular program downstream of PLZF, however, is largely unexplored. Here we report that PLZF regulates the expression of a surprisingly small set of genes, many with known immune functions. This includes several established components of the NKT cell developmental program. Overall design: Transcriptional program downstream of PLZF in gammadelta NKT cells was analyzed by comparing wt, heterozygous and PLZF-deficient gammadelta NKT cells