Regulation of cytokine gene transcription in the immune system

The controlled expression of cytokine genes is an essential component of an immune response. The specific types of cytokines as well as the time and place of their production is important in generating an appropriate immune response to an infectious agent. Aberrant expression is associated with pathological conditions of the immune system such as autoimmunity, atopy and chronic inflammation. Cytokine gene transcription is generally induced in a cell-specific manner. Over the last 15 years, a large amount of information has been generated describing the transcriptional controls that are exerted on cytokine genes. Recently, efforts have been directed at understanding how these genes are transcribed in a chromatin context. This review will discuss the mechanisms by which cytokine genes become available for transcription in a cell-restricted manner as well as the mechanisms by which these genes sense their environment and activate high level transcription in a transient manner. Particular attention will be paid to the role of chromatin in allowing transcription factor access to appropriate genes.