Global Mapping of Histone H3 K4 and K27 Trimethylation: Lineage Fate Determination of Differentiating CD4+ T Cells. Mus musculus

Multipotential naïve CD4+ T cells differentiate into distinct lineages including Th1, Th2, Th17, and inducible T regulatory (iTreg) cells. The remarkable diversity of CD4+ T cells begs the question whether the observed changes reflect terminal differentiation with heritable epigenetic modifications or plasticity in T cell responses. We generated genome-wide histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) and lysine 27 (H3K27) trimethylation maps in naïve, Th1, Th2, Th17, iTreg, and natural (n)Treg cells. We find that while modifications of signature cytokine genes (Ifng, Il4, and Il17) partially conform to the expectation of lineage commitment, critical transcription factors such as Tbx21 exhibit a broad spectrum of epigenetic states, consistent with our demonstration of T-bet and IFN-γ induction in nTreg cells. Our data suggest an epigenetic mechanism underlying the specificity and plasticity of effector and regulatory T cells and also provide a framework for understanding complexity of CD4+ T helper cell differentiation. Overall design: genome-wide analysis of histone H3 K4 and K27 trimethylation in different sub-lineages of mouse CD4+ T cells. (12 samples in total)