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The Th17/ Treg axis is a crucial regulator of anti-inflammatory and proinflammatory pathways that play fundamental roles in cancer and autoimmune diseases. The alteration of the Th17/Tregs axis is highly significant for developing novel therapeutic approaches. Th17 and Treg cells share a large portion of their transcriptome, albeit with distinct functions. The mechanisms governing the bifurcation of Th17 /Treg axis differentiation from naïve T cells are not yet understood. This study aims to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and gene-enriched pathways that contribute to the distinction between these closely aligned phenotypes. We analyzed RNA sequencing data of CD4+ T cells differentiated in vitro into Th0, Th17, and Tregs phenotypes and built gene enrichment networks. We studied the network rewiring of Th17 and Tregs from Th0 cells. In addition to common pathways and genes that are equally expressed between these two distinct phenotypes, we identified key genes and pathways that contribute to their distinctiveness. For example, the Keap1 gene and several of its interactors such as MCC1 were upregulated in Tregs indicating that Tregs possess mechanisms that prevent the over-activation of antioxidants pathways. Tregs also possess several genes that are involved in the hydrolysis of ATP to ADP as RAB37, ATP1A2, ATP1B, and PDE2A to ensure Treg anti-inflammatory capabilities. Additionally, one of the pathways that ensure Tregs differentiation and function seems to point toward an insulin role mediated by APOL9B and GOLM. Taken together our findings shed light on various essential regulators of the Th17/Treg axis and pave the way for treatment strategies that selectively target one phenotype while sparing the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pluripotent cells show the unlimited self-renewal capacity and the potential to differentiate into the cell lineages originating from three germ layers. To date real pluripotent stem cell lines, able to generate germ line chimeras, have been established in rodents. Large domestic animals, especially pig, due to their considerable anatomical and physiological similarities with humans are thought to be convenient model to test potential of pluripotent cells in cell replacement therapy before their clinical use. However, creating pluripotent cells in domestic animals until now has met the limitations due to lack of evidence for germ line contribution. Therefore they can not be considered real pluripotent cells but rather putative embryonic or embryonic-like stem cells. Recently, much attention has been drawn to the reprogramming technologies which enable redirection of differentiated somatic cells to the pluripotent status. The aim of this review is to present the recent achievements in generating of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in domestic animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]