Gene expression profiles of HEK293 cells following induction of wild-type and mutated FOXP3

The forkhead DNA-binding protein FOXP3 is critical for the development and suppressive function of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (TREG), which play a key role in maintaining self tolerance. Functionally, FOXP3 is capable of repressing transcription of cytokine genes regulated by the Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells (NFAT). Various mechanisms have been proposed by which FOXP3 mediates these effects. Using novel HEK cell lines that inducibly express either wild-type (WT) or mutant FOXP3, we have identified genome-wide expression patterns showing among other features that NFAT2 as an early target of FOXP3-mediated transcriptional repression. Six biological replicates of wild-type induced FOXP3 cell lines and six biological replicates of mutated FOXP3 cell line were studied.