Epigenetic factors have been implicated in the regulation of CD4⁺ T-cell differentiation. Jmjd3 plays a role in many biological processes, but its in vivo function in T-cell differentiation remains unknown. Here we report that Jmjd3 ablation promotes CD4⁺ T-cell differentiation into Th2 and Th17 cells in the small intestine and colon, and inhibits T-cell differentiation into Th1 cells under different cytokine-polarizing conditions and in a Th1-dependent colitis model. Jmjd3 deficiency also restrains the plasticity of the conversion of Th2, Th17 or Treg cells to Th1 cells. The skewing of T-cell differentiation is concomitant with changes in the expression of key transcription factors and cytokines. H3K27me3 and H3K4me3 levels in Jmjd3-deficient cells are correlated with altered gene expression through interactions with specific transcription factors. Our results identify Jmjd3 as an epigenetic factor in T-cell differentiation via changes in histone methylation and target gene expression.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide; due to the lack of ideal cancer biomarkers for early detection or diagnosis, most patients present with late-stage disease at the time of diagnosis, thus limiting the potential for successful treatment. Traditional cancer treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, have demonstrated very limited efficacy for patients with late-stage disease. Therefore, innovative and effective cancer treatments are urgently needed for cancer patients with late-stage and refractory disease. Cancer immunotherapy, particularly adoptive cell transfer, has shown great promise in the treatment of patients with late-stage disease, including those who are refractory to standard therapies. In this review, we will highlight recent advances and discuss future directions in adoptive cell transfer based cancer immunotherapy.

Significance: Malaria infection causes a severe disease with diverse symptoms. The molecular mechanisms underlying the differences of malaria pathology remain unknown or controversial. Here we infected mice with two closely related strains of rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii and characterized host genome-wide responses to the infections. We found that in mice infected with parasite N67, type I interferon was produced to a high level, leading to suppression of parasitemia. We further characterized the molecular mechanisms and identified host receptors in recognizing parasite ligands. In contrast, mice infected with N67C parasite mounted a strong inflammatory response, leading to severe pathology and host death. This study reveals previously unrecognized mechanisms associated with strain-specific malaria infection and provides important information for studying human malaria pathogenesis.