The transcription factor E74-like factor 4 suppresses differentiation of proliferating CD4+ T cells to the Th17 lineage.

The differentiation of CD4(+) T cells into different Th lineages is driven by cytokine milieu in the priming site and the underlying transcriptional circuitry. Even though many positive regulators have been identified, it is not clear how this process is inhibited at transcriptional level. In this study, we report that the E-twenty six (ETS) transcription factor E74-like factor 4 (ELF4) suppresses the differentiation of Th17 cells both in vitro and in vivo. Culture of naive Elf4(-/-) CD4(+) T cells in the presence of IL-6 and TGF-β (or IL-6, IL-23, and IL-1β) resulted in increased numbers of IL-17A-positive cells compared with wild-type controls. In contrast, the differentiation to Th1, Th2, or regulatory T cells was largely unaffected by loss of ELF4. The increased expression of genes involved in Th17 differentiation observed in Elf4(-/-) CD4(+) T cells suggested that ELF4 controls their programming into the Th17 lineage rather than only IL-17A gene expression. Despite normal proliferation of naive CD4(+) T cells, loss of ELF4 lowered the requirement of IL-6 and TGF-β signaling for IL-17A induction in each cell division. ELF4 did not inhibit Th17 differentiation by promoting IL-2 production as proposed for another ETS transcription factor, ETS1. Elf4(-/-) mice showed increased numbers of Th17 cells in the lamina propria at steady state, in lymph nodes after immunization, and, most importantly, in the CNS following experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis induction, contributing to the increased disease severity. Collectively, our findings suggest that ELF4 restrains Th17 differentiation in dividing CD4(+) T cells by regulating commitment to the Th17 differentiation program.