About The Artwork
A cover Illustration for the Vahedi Lab of the University of Pennsylvania
Year: 2018
Published on the cover of the journal Immunity (Volume 48, Issue 2) to accompany the manuscript "Lineage-Determining Transcription Factor TCF-1 Initiates the Epigenetic Identity of T Cells" by Johnson et al.
On the cover: The transcription factor TCF-1 is essential in T cell development. It has been unclear, however, whether the mechanism by which TCF-1 controls T cell fate involves the specific transcriptional regulation of a small number of genes or whether this protein has a pervasive impact on the epigenomic regulation of T cells. In this issue of Immunity, Johnson et al. (243–257) show that TCF-1 controls T cell fate through genome-wide programming of the epigenetic identity of T cells. TCF-1 binds to previously occupied nucleosomes, generating de novo chromatin accessibility even at condensed chromatin regions, and induces the expression of T cell genes. The cover image illustrates TCF-1 as an “ice breaker ship” sailing ahead, “de-icing” condensed genomic regions, and leaving behind “accessible” regulatory elements. Illustration by Dr. Stacie Bumgarner.