The Transcription Factor T-bet Plays a Crucial Role in Regulating the Immune Regulatory Function of Double-Negative T Cells

This study found that, compared to conventional CD4+ / CD8+ T cells, double-negative T (DNT) cells express high levels of IFN-?, and IFN-? can dose-dependently enhance the in vitro conversion efficiency of DNT cells, suggesting that DNT cells tend to adopt a Th1 phenotype. Single-cell sequencing revealed that DNT cells exhibit high expression of the transcription factor T-bet. Knockout of T-bet significantly downregulated IFN-? expression in DNT cells and reduced their suppressive capacity on macrophages in vitro. Transcriptome sequencing further elucidated the specific mechanism by which T-bet regulates the immune regulatory function of DNT cells. Overall design: RNA-seq profiling of wild-type cDNT cells and Tbx21-knockdown cDNT cells.