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Despite considerable interest in the modulation of tumor-associated Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (T(regs)) for therapeutic benefit, little is known about the developmental origins of these cells and the nature of the antigens that they recognize. We identified an endogenous population of antigen-specific T(regs) (termed MJ23 T(regs)) found recurrently enriched in the tumors of mice with oncogene-driven prostate cancer. MJ23 T(regs) were not reactive to a tumor-specific antigen but instead recognized a prostate-associated antigen that was present in tumor-free mice. MJ23 T(regs) underwent autoimmune regulator (Aire)-dependent thymic development in both male and female mice. Thus, Aire-mediated expression of peripheral tissue antigens drives the thymic development of a subset of organ-specific T(regs), which are likely coopted by tumors developing within the associated organ.

Although Notch plays a crucial role in T cell development, regulation of Notch signaling in the thymus is not well understood. Kuzbanian, an ADAM protease, has been implicated in the cleavage of both Notch receptors and the Notch ligand, Delta. In this study we show that the expression of a dominant-negative form of Kuzbanian (dnKuz) leads to reduced TCRbeta expression in double-negative thymocytes and to a partial block between the double-negative to double-positive stages of development. These defects were rescued by overexpression of Delta-1 on thymocytes. Mixed chimeras showed a cell-autonomous block by dnKuz, but non-cell-autonomous rescue by Delta-1. This suggests that dnKuz impairs Notch signaling in receiving cells, and increasing Delta-1 on sending cells overcomes this defect. Interestingly, the expression of an activated form of Notch-1 rescued some, but not all, the defects in dnKuz Tg mice. Our data suggest that multiple Notch-dependent steps in early thymocyte development require Kuzbanian, but differ in the involvement of other Notch signaling components.

BAF and PBAF are two related mammalian chromatin remodeling complexes essential for gene expression and development. PBAF, but not BAF, is able to potentiate transcriptional activation in vitro mediated by nuclear receptors, such as RXRalpha, VDR, and PPARgamma. Here we show that the ablation of PBAF-specific subunit BAF180 in mouse embryos results in severe hypoplastic ventricle development and trophoblast placental defects, similar to those found in mice lacking RXRalpha and PPARgamma. Embryonic aggregation analyses reveal that in contrast to PPARgamma-deficient mice, the heart defects are likely a direct result of BAF180 ablation, rather than an indirect consequence of trophoblast placental defects. We identified potential target genes for BAF180 in heart development, such as S100A13 as well as retinoic acid (RA)-induced targets RARbeta2 and CRABPII. Importantly, BAF180 is recruited to the promoter of these target genes and BAF180 deficiency affects the RA response for CRABPII and RARbeta2. These studies reveal unique functions of PBAF in cardiac chamber maturation.

Mice deficient for the B cell-restricted transcription factor Pax5 show a defect in the VH to DJH rearrangement step of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene assembly even though the expression of the V(D)J recombinase is not diminished in Pax5-/- pro-B cells. To investigate whether Pax5 is limiting for VH to DJH rearrangement, we generated transgenic mice which express Pax5 in developing thymocytes. We show that enforced expression of Pax5 in thymocytes results in a partial block in T cell development due to defective pre-TCR signaling in beta-selection. Moreover, our results demonstrate that expression of Pax5 in early thymocytes is sufficient to induce VH to DJH rearrangements in CD4+CD8+ T cells and lead us to suggest that Pax5 may play a direct role in the lineage-specific regulation of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement.

Nur77 is a nuclear orphan steroid receptor that has been implicated in negative selection. Expression of Nur77 in thymocytes and cell lines leads to apoptosis through a mechanism that remains unclear. In some cell lines, Nur77 was reported to act through a transcription-independent mechanism involving translocation to mitochondria, leading to cytochrome c release. However, we show here that Nur77-mediated apoptosis in thymocytes does not involve cytoplasmic cytochrome c release and cannot be rescued by Bcl-2. Microarray analysis shows that Nur77 induces many genes, including two novel genes (NDG1, NDG2) and known apoptotic genes FasL and TRAIL. Characterization of NDG1 and NDG2 indicates that NDG1 initiates a novel apoptotic pathway in a Bcl-2-independent manner. Thus Nur77-mediated apoptosis in T cells involves Bcl-2 independent transcriptional activation of several known and novel apoptotic pathways.

Upstream regulatory factor (USF) and sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) play key roles in the transcriptional regulation of the fatty acid synthase (FAS) gene by feeding and insulin. Due to the dual binding specificity of SREBP, as well as the presence of multiple consensus sites for these transcription factors in the FAS promoter, their physiologically relevant functional binding sites have been controversial. Here, in order to determine the occupancy of the putative USF and SREBP binding sites, we examined their protein-DNA interactions in living animals by using formaldehyde cross-linking and immunoprecipitation of chromatin and tested the function of these elements by employing mice transgenic for a reporter gene driven by various 5' deletions as well as site-specific mutations of the FAS promoter. We show that the -332 and -65 E-boxes are bound by USF in both fasted and refed mice, while the -150 SRE is bound by SREBP-1 only in refed mice. We also found that mutation of either the -150 SRE or the -65 E-box abolishes the feeding-induced activation of the FAS promoter in transgenic mice. Furthermore, in vivo occupancy of the FAS promoter by SREBP in the fed state can be prevented by mutation not only of the -150 SRE but, unexpectedly, of the -65 E-box as well. We conclude that the FAS promoter is activated during refeeding via the induced binding of SREBP to the -150 SRE and that USF binding to the -65 E-box is also required for SREBP binding and activation of the FAS promoter.

Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) mediates nonshivering thermogenesis and, upon cold exposure, is induced in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and subcutaneous white adipose tissue (iWAT). Here, by high-throughput screening using the UCP1 promoter, we identify Zfp516 as a transcriptional activator of UCP1 as well as PGC1α, thereby promoting a BAT program. Zfp516 itself is induced by cold and sympathetic stimulation through the cAMP-CREB/ATF2 pathway. Zfp516 directly binds to the proximal region of the UCP1 promoter, not to the enhancer region where other transcription factors bind, and interacts with PRDM16 to activate the UCP1 promoter. Although ablation of Zfp516 causes embryonic lethality, knockout embryos still show drastically reduced BAT mass. Overexpression of Zfp516 in adipose tissue promotes browning of iWAT even at room temperature, increasing body temperature and energy expenditure and preventing diet-induced obesity. Zfp516 may represent a future target for obesity therapeutics.

Pref-1 is an EGF-repeat-containing protein that inhibits adipocyte differentiation. To better understand the origin and development of white adipose tissue (WAT), we generated transgenic mouse models for transient or permanent fluorescent labeling of cells using the Pref-1 promoter, facilitating inducible ablation. We show that Pref-1-marked cells retain proliferative capacity and are very early adipose precursors, prior to expression of Zfp423 or PPARγ. In addition, the Pref-1-marked cells establish that adipose precursors are mesenchymal, but not endothelial or pericytal, in origin. During embryogenesis, Pref-1-marked cells first appear in the dorsal mesenteric region as early as embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5). These cells become lipid-laden adipocytes at E17.5 in the subcutaneous region, whereas visceral WAT develops after birth. Finally, ablation of Pref-1-marked cells prevents not only embryonic WAT development but also later adult adipose expansion upon high-fat feeding, demonstrating the requirement of Pref-1 cells for adipogenesis.