The Gli family of transcription factors in thymic epithelial cell (TEC) function and differentiation

T细胞是使我们能够抗击传染病的白血球。要做到这一点，T细胞必须能够识别什么是“自我”，什么是“非我”。T细胞在一个叫做胸腺的器官中产生。在T细胞在胸腺中成熟的过程中，选择T细胞是为了让任何可能攻击我们自己的T细胞死亡，但允许能够抵抗感染的T细胞离开。这个项目将研究胸腺如何控制哪些发育中的T细胞被允许完成它们的成熟并离开胸腺，因为它们识别“非我”，而哪些T细胞不能完成它们的成熟，因为它们识别“自我”。我们将研究三个名为Gli1、Gli2和Gli3的分子如何控制发育中的T细胞的命运，并影响他们识别“自我”和“非我”的能力。Gli1、Gli2和Gli3是被称为转录因子的分子，它们影响细胞中哪些基因的活性。我们将找出胸腺中由Gli1、Gli2和Gli3控制的基因。我们将利用这些信息来找出Gli1、Gli2和Gli3是如何控制T细胞的产生的。

T-cells are white blood cells that enable us to fight infectious disease. To do this, T cells must be able to recognize what is 'self' from what is 'non-self'. T-cells are produced in an organ called the thymus. During their maturation in the thymus, T-cells are selected so that any T-cells that might attack our-selves (attack 'self') die, but T-cells that are able to fight infections are allowed to leave. This project will study how the thymus controls which developing T-cells are allowed to complete their maturation and leave the thymus because they recognize 'non-self' and which T-cells do not complete their maturation because they recognize 'self'. We will study how three molecules called Gli1, Gli2 and Gli3 control the fate of developing T-cells and influences their ability to recognize 'self' and 'non-self'. Gli1, Gli2 and Gli3 are molecules called a transcription factors that influence which genes are active in a cell. We will find out which genes are controlled by Gli1, Gli2 and Gli3 in the thymus. We will use this information to find out how Gli1, Gli2 and Gli3 control the production of T-cells.