Expression data comparing PLZF+/+, PLZF +/lu, PLZF lu/lu gammadelta NKT cells

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. Transcriptional program downstream of PLZF in gammadelta NKT cells was analyzed by comparing wt, heterozygous and PLZF-deficient gammadelta NKT cells