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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Nov 13.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Immunol. 2010 Apr;10(4):225–235. doi: 10.1038/nri2735

Figure 1. TH2 cell differentiation requires both GATA3 expression and STAT5 activation.

Figure 1

GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA3) and activated signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) bind to crucial regulatory elements of the T helper 2 (TH2) cytokine locus and are indispensable for interleukin-4 (IL-4) production and thus TH2 cell differentiation. IL-2, IL-7 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) activate STAT5. Several pathways are involved in regulating GATA3 expression. IL-4, through the activation of STAT6, is important for GATA3 upregulation in vitro. Low signal strength T cell receptor (TCR) activation induces GATA3 expression in an IL-4- and STAT6-independent manner. Other signalling pathways, including the Notch and WNT pathways, have been reported to regulate Gata3 transcription, although whether their effect is direct is currently being investigated. γc, common cytokine receptor γ-chain; R, receptor.