The role of RUNX2 and BHLHE40 in pathologically relevant CD4-positive tissue-resident T-cells in Crohn's disease.

Tissue-resident T-cells (TRM) are deeply involved in immune memory at the site of inflammation. Here, we identified two key transcription factors, RUNX2 and BHLHE40 as regulators of pathologically relevant CD4-positive TRM in the inflamed gut mucosa of Crohn’s disease patients. RUNX2 and/or BHLHE40 were overexpressed on CD4-positive T cells derived from human blood. Cells were stmulated by PMA/ionomycin, followed by RNA extraction for bulk RNA-seq analysis.