{
  "id": 3495094,
  "title": "How DNA folding controls immune gene activity in T cells",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/how-dna-folding-controls-immune-gene-activity-in-t-cells",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-26T11:20:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-dna-immune-gene-cells.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have uncovered the role of DNA folding in controlling the activity of immune genes in T cells. The study, published in the journal Immunity, demonstrates that the three-dimensional folding of DNA at the Ets1–Fli1 locus influences when these immune genes switch on during T-cell differentiation into Th1 cells.\n\nUsing advanced imaging techniques and mice lacking a crucial DNA control region called a super-enhancer, the researchers found that the folding pattern of the DNA changes as T cells mature into specialized Th1 cells. When the super-enhancer is absent, the DNA structure becomes disordered, leading to disrupted gene activity.\n\nThis finding provides insight into how small genetic variations near these immune genes might increase the risk of immune disorders. Dr. Golnaz Vahedi, a professor of genetics at Penn Medicine and co-author of the study, notes that \"the physical positioning of regulatory DNA elements is not just structural; it actively shapes how T cells decide their identity.\"\n\nUnderstanding these spatial rules could enable more precise targeting of the root causes of T cell–mediated diseases. This study, titled \"Single-allele chromatin tracing reveals cytokine-dependent super-enhancer repositioning in CD4+ T cells,\" was conducted by Atishay Jay et al.",
  "summary": "A new study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania reveals that the three-dimensional folding of DNA at a key genetic locus helps determine when two related immune genes, Ets1 and Fli1, are switched on in T cells.",
  "key_points": [
    "DNA folding controls immune gene activity in T cells.",
    "DNA structure changes as T cells mature into Th1 cells.",
    "Super-enhancer absence leads to disordered DNA and disrupted gene activity."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}