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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Mouse Naïve CD4+ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets
Published on: April 16, 2015
Reciprocal TH17 and regulatory T cell differentiation mediated by retinoic acid
Daniel Mucida1, Yunji Park, Gisen Kim
1La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Abstract:
The cytokine transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) converts naïve T cells into regulatory T (Treg) cells that prevent autoimmunity. However, in the presence of interleukin-6 (IL-6), TGF-beta has also been found to promote the differentiation of naïve T lymphocytes into proinflammatory IL-17 cytokine-producing T helper 17 (T(H)17) cells, which promote autoimmunity and inflammation. This raises the question of how TGF-beta can generate such distinct outcomes. We identified the vitamin A metabolite retinoic acid as a key regulator of TGF-beta-dependent immune responses, capable of inhibiting the IL-6-driven induction of proinflammatory T(H)17 cells and promoting anti-inflammatory Treg cell differentiation. These findings indicate that a common metabolite can regulate the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory immunity.
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