Nucleic acid biology of the immune system FoxP3 | Overview
Crystal structure of Foxp3∆N in complex with IR-FKHM4g DNA.
FoxP3 is a forkhead transcriptional factor, pivotal in immune homeostasis, playing a critical role in development of regulatory T cells. Mutations in FoxP3 lead to the multi-organ autoimmune disease immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked (IPEX) syndrome in human.
Despite its importance in immune homeostasis, the biochemical and structural properties and molecular functions of FoxP3 remain poorly understood.
Our lab has focused its efforts on defining the overall architecture of FoxP3. Our functional data provide new insights into the pathogenic mechanism for IPEX mutations and a new framework of understanding for FoxP3 functions.