AUTHOR=Mirlekar Bhalchandra , Gautam Dipendra , Chattopadhyay Samit 

TITLE=Chromatin Remodeling Protein SMAR1 Is a Critical Regulator of T Helper Cell Differentiation and Inflammatory Diseases

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2017.00072

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2017.00072

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>T cell differentiation from naïve T cells to specialized effector subsets of mature cells is determined by the iterative action of transcription factors. At each stage of specific T cell lineage differentiation, transcription factor interacts not only with nuclear proteins such as histone and histone modifiers but also with other factors that are bound to the chromatin and play a critical role in gene expression. In this review, we focus on one of such nuclear protein known as tumor suppressor and scaffold matrix attachment region-binding protein 1 (SMAR1) in CD4<sup>+</sup> T cell differentiation. SMAR1 facilitates Th1 differentiation by negatively regulating T-bet expression <italic>via</italic> recruiting HDAC1–SMRT complex to its gene promoter. In contrast, regulatory T (T<sub>reg</sub>) cell functions are dependent on inhibition of Th17-specific genes mainly IL-17 and STAT3 by SMAR1. Here, we discussed a critical role of chromatin remodeling protein SMAR1 in maintaining a fine-tuned balance between effector CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells and T<sub>reg</sub> cells by influencing the transcription factors during allergic and autoimmune inflammatory diseases.</p>