Gene-regulatory programs that specify age-related differences during thymocyte development.

Abstract

T cell development is fundamental to immune system establishment, but how this development changes with age remains poorly understood. Here, we construct a transcriptional and chromatin accessibility atlas of T cell developmental programs in neonatal and adult mice, revealing the ontogeny of divergent gene-regulatory programs and their link to age-related differences. Specifically, we identify a gene module that diverges with age from the earliest stages of genesis and includes programs that govern the effector response and cell cycle. Moreover, we reveal that neonates possess more accessible chromatin during early thymocyte development, likely establishing poised gene expression programs that manifest later in thymocyte development. Finally, we leverage this atlas, employing a CRISPR-based perturbation approach coupled with single-cell RNA sequencing readout, to uncover a conserved transcriptional regulator, Zbtb20, that contributes to age-dependent differences in T cell development. In summary, our study defines gene-regulatory programs that regulate age-specific differences in T cell development.