Fine-tuning a gene centrally involved in regulating the immune system offers potential clues for future autoimmunity and cancer treatments. Without this gene, regulatory T cells cannot function properly and the immune system spirals out of control, attacking the body’s own tissues. Immune control panelsThe experiments revealed that different human cell types have different control systems for the gene FOXP3. But the researchers also discovered an unexpected repressor that acts as a brake on the FOXP3 gene. This time, they systematically disrupted nearly 1350 genes throughout the genome to identify specific proteins that control FOXP3 levels.