Nuclear receptors: TH17 cell control from within

IL-17 producing T helper (T(H)17) cells have recently been identified as a new subset involved in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune diseases. Exogenous factors promoting T(H)17 induction have been intensely characterized, whereas the T cell-intrinsic mechanisms influencing T(H)17 development are less established. The transcription factor ROR gamma t, which belongs to the nuclear receptor superfamily, serves as master transcription factor essential for T(H)17 differentiation, whereas other members of the nuclear receptor family control T(H)17 differentiation and contribute to protection from T(H)17-mediated autoimmunity. In this review, we will highlight the most recent understandings about the regulatory function of nuclear receptors during T(H)17 cell differentiation. (C) 2011 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.