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Isolation and Th17 Differentiation of Naïve CD4 T Lymphocytes
Published on: September 27, 2013
CD2 facilitates differentiation of CD4 Th cells without affecting Th1/Th2 polarization
Tetsuro Sasada1, Hailin Yang, Ellis L Reinherz
1Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)
|January 22, 2002
Summary
CD2 is crucial for normal CD4 T cell development and activation. While it doesn't dictate helper T cell polarization, CD2 deficiency impairs T cell responses and effector function.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- T cell biology
- Cellular immunology
Background:
- CD2 is a cell surface glycoprotein expressed on T lymphocytes.
- Its precise role in T cell differentiation and activation remains under investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of CD2 in CD4 helper T cell differentiation and polarization.
- To assess the impact of CD2 deficiency on thymic development and T cell activation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized TCR-Cyt-5CC7-I transgenic recombination activating gene-2-/- mice on CD2+/+ and CD2-/- backgrounds.
- Analyzed thymocyte development, T cell activation markers (CD25, CD69), and proliferation via [(3)H]TdR incorporation.
- Evaluated Th1/Th2 polarization and effector/memory phenotype development in vivo.
Main Results:
- CD2 deficiency led to abnormal thymic development, reducing CD4 single-positive (SP) thymocyte numbers.
- CD2-/- CD4 SP T cells showed significantly attenuated activation responses to peptides.
- CD2 expression lowered the peptide concentration threshold for Th1 and Th2 differentiation but did not direct polarization.
- CD2 deficiency resulted in an impaired effector/memory phenotype in vivo.
Conclusions:
- CD2 is essential for efficient CD4 SP thymocyte development and TCR-dependent activation of mature T cells.
- CD2 plays a role in modulating the sensitivity of T cell activation to antigen.
- CD2 does not determine the specific polarization outcome (Th1 vs. Th2) of helper T cells.
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