Forkhead Transcription Factors: Vital Elements in Biology and Medicine provides a unique platform for the presentation of novel work and new insights into the vital role that forkhead transcription factors play in both cellular physiology as well as clinical medicine. Internationally recognized...

Foxp subfamily genes were recently recognized to be members of the Fox gene family. Foxp subfamily members contain a zinc finger domain and a leucine zipper motif in addition to a forkhead domain and their DNA binding capacities and transcriptional activities are regulated by homo‑ and...

Allergic diseases such as asthma, rhinitis and eczema are increasing in prevalence worldwide, in particular in industrialised countries affecting up to 20% of the population. Regulatory T‑cells (Tregs) have been shown to be critical in T‑cell homeostasis and in the maintenance of immune...

Transcription factor families are a small number of upstream master genes in “higher hierarchy“ that control the expression of a large number of downstream genes. These transcription factors have been found to integrate the signaling pathways underlying the pathogenesis of cardiovascular...

Foxc1 and Foxc2 are closely related members of the Forkhead/Fox transcription factor family. The two Foxc genes have overlapping expression patterns in mesodermal and neural crest derivatives during development, as well as similar functions of gene regulation. Consistently, mouse mutants for each...

CD4+/FOXP3+ regulatory T‑cells (Tregs) are essential for the maintenance of self‑tolerance and Tregs deficiency results in spontaneous autoimmunity in both mice and humans. The forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) expression is required for both survival of Tregs precursors as well as their function. This...

All key reproductive events in the human ovary and uterus, including follicle activation, ovulation, implantation, decidualization, luteolysis and menstruation, are dependent upon profound tissue remodelling, characterised by cyclical waves of cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis,...

The Transcription factor FoxP3 belongs to the forkhead/winged‑helix family of transcriptional regulators and shares general structural features with other FoxP family members. FoxP3 functions as a master of transcription for the development of regulatory T‑cells (Treg cells) both in humans...

The immune system is responsible for not only eliminating threats to the body, but also for protecting the body from its own immune responses that would cause harm if left unchecked. Forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3) is a forkhead family member with an important role in the development and function...

FOXO transcription factors promote cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, DNA damage repair and detoxification of reactive oxygen species by regulating specific gene setting. As FOXO possess diverse functions, which partly seemed opposing, the multiple mechanisms, including transcriptional activity and...

Efficient T‑cell adaptive immune response require a faultless coordination between migration of naive T‑cells into secondary lymphoid organs and critical biological outcomes driven by antigen such as cell division and cell differentiation into effector and memory cells. Recent works have...

In humans, a proper immune response relies on the innate immunity, characterized by a rapid and nonspecific initial response to infections and later on the adaptive immunity, characterized by a specific response to a particular antigen. Disruption of any part of the orchestrated immune response...

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‑1) infection and associated diseases continue to represent major health problem worldwide. FOXO transcriptional factors play an important role in the regulation of cell apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, stress resistance, metabolism and differentiation. This...

Innate immune responses follow accumulation of modified lipids within the arterial wall thereby influencing atherosclerotic plaque progression. One of the mechanisms evolved in maintaining immunologic self‑tolerance involves upregulation of regulatory T‑cells, among which the CD4+CD25+ FoxP3+...

FOXP3 is a member of the forkhead transcription factor family. Unlike other members, it is mainly expressed in a subset of CD4+ T‑cells that play a suppressive role in the immune system. A function of FOXP3 is to suppress the function of NFAT and NFκB and this leads to suppression of...

The gene FOXL2 encodes a forkhead transcription factor whose mutations are responsible for the Blepharophimosis Ptosis Epicanthus‑inversus syndrome. This genetic disorder is characterized by eyelid and mild craniofacial abnormalities often in association with premature ovarian failure. FOXL2...

The FoxO family of transcription factors mediate a wide range of cellular responses from cell death to cell survival, growth inhibition and glucose utilization. This complex array of responses is regulated by an equally complex regulatory system, involving phosphorylation, ubiquitinization and...

Forkhead box transcription factor, class O (FOXO) is a mammalian homologue of DAF‑16, which is known to regulate the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans and includes subfamilies of forkhead transcription factors such as FOXO1 (FKHR), FOXO3 (FKHRL1), FOXO4 (AFX) and FOXO6. All these FOXO members...