The role of RORγt in T17-mediated autoimmunity

Th17- and Th1-cells play major roles in autoimmunity, as both can mediate pro-inflammatory autoimmune responses resulting in inflammatory bowl disease. However, the mechanisms underlying Th17- and Th1-responses are poorly understood, particularly with respect to regulation by the hallmark transcription factors RORγt and T-bet. To precisely explore the role of RORγt in Th17-autoimmunity in the absence of Th1, we created RORγt-reporter and -knockout mice on a T-bet-deficient (T-bet-/-) background by crossbreeding T-bet-/- with Rorγtgfp/wt-reporter and Rorγtgfp/gfp-knockout mice, respectively. First, we explored th…