Heme oxygenase-1 suppresses the differentiation of CD4+ T lymphocytes in Th1 direction by inhibiting the transcriptional activity of T-bet

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is considered as an important immunoregulatory protein with anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective properties. The exact mechanism of this immunomodulation is not known sufficiently yet. There is growing evidence about direct interactions with CD4+ T lymphocytes in terms of an anti-proliferative effect mediated by HO-1. In this study we investigated the role of HO-1 in the differentiation of T helper cells in Th1 direction, the essential cells for the development of the autoimmune hepatatis. We performed in vitro experiments with isolated CD4+ T lymphocytes from HO-1 deficie…