Stat6-dependent and -independent pathways for IL-4 production

Stat6 has been shown to have a crucial role in the IL-4-dependent differentiation of Th2 cells. In this report, we explore whether in vitro Th2 differentiation driven by altered costimulatory signals or Ag dose is Stat6 dependent. We find that blocking B7-1 signaling in vitro promotes the differentiation of IL-4-secreting Th2 cells in wild-type but not Stat6-deficient T cell cultures. Additionally, stimulation with peptide Ag doses that normally result in the production of Th2 cells in vitro fails to do so in cultures of Stat6-deficient cells. We also demonstrate that Stat6 is required for the in vitro differentiation of CD8+ T cells into IL-4-secreting cytotoxic T cell type 2 cells. However, IL-4 expression is not absolutely dependent on Stat6. We demonstrate that populations of T cells that do not require IL-4 for their development, such as NK T cells, are still competent to secrete IL-4 in the absence of Stat6. These results demonstrate that Stat6 is required for the differentiation program leading to the generation of Th2 and cytotoxic T cell type 2 cells but not for IL-4 expression in cells that do not undergo differentiation in response to IL-4.