Protein "GATA-3" Crucial For Immune System Regulation

Date: May-27-2013Researchers at the University of North Carolina have identified the importance of the protein "GATA-3" in regulating and maintaining the immune system.

The function that GATA-3 has in cell development and cancer formation isn't quite yet fully understood. However, the investigators were able to discover just how crucial the protein is in regulating T-cell development, in particular its role in CD8+ cells.

Yisong Wan, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the UNC School of Medicine and member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, said:

"We want to know what the basic function of GATA-3 in regulating cell biology is, although it has been shown that GATA-3 is important for the function of CD4+ T cell type to clear extracellular parasites."

T-Cell Development

The findings, published in the journal Nature Immunology, reveal that GATA-3 is essential in maintaining proper function of CD8+ T-cells.

CD8+ T cells are responsible for helping the immune system kill pathogens and eliminate tumors.

Wan said: "If you delete that gene in a mouse, the mouse embryo fails to develop. It is involved in the developmental stages in many types of cells."

The researchers used mouse models which had T cells absent of the GATA-3 gene. They found that while the cells were still able to develop without the protein, GATA-3 is crucial for proper maintenance and functioning.

The discovery could help scientists further understand immunoregulation, which would speed up the development of future therapies for immunological diseases.

Wan concluded:

"One of the markers for certain types of breast cancer is the up-regulation of GATA-3, and recently it has been associated with T-cell leukemia development. I wouldn't be surprised, and this is a bit of speculation, if GATA-3 may have a function in promoting certain breast cancer and T-cell leukemia through promoting the MYC pathway." said Wan. "If we are able to target GATA-3 in certain types of cancer, we may be able to suppress tumor formation."

The researchers also discovered that GATA-3 controls the signaling pathway that activates the oncogene c-MYC.

Last year, the journal Nature Medicine reported that
a new revolutionary cancer-targeting technology that involves new reagents known as ImmTACs (Immune Mobilising mTCR against Cancer) is able to mobilize T-cells that kill cancer cells and overcome immune tolerance to cancer.

Written by Joseph Nordqvist

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