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Molecular associations on the T cell surface correlate with immunological memory
1Section of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
European Journal of Immunology
|October 11, 1990
Summary
Immunological memory in CD4 T cells involves altered CD45 isoform expression, changing cell signaling. This structural shift in the T cell receptor complex enhances sensitivity, a hallmark of memory cells.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- CD45 isoforms, including CD45RB, are differentially expressed on naive and memory CD4 T cells in mice.
- Cloned TH1 and TH2 cell lines also exhibit distinct CD45 isoform expression patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between differential CD45 isoform expression and the behavior of cell surface molecules involved in signal transduction.
- To elucidate the structural basis of immunological memory in CD4 T cells.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an antibody targeting CD45 isoforms that utilize exon B (CD45RB) to analyze expression on T cell subsets.
- Examined the association of CD4, CD45, and the CD3/T cell receptor complex on naive and memory T cells, including TH2 cells.
Main Results:
- Naive T cells show independent behavior of CD4, CD45, and the CD3/T cell receptor.
- Memory T cells exhibit stable associations between these molecules.
- In TH2 cells, CD4 associates with non-CD45RB isoforms, but not the CD3/T cell receptor complex.
Conclusions:
- Propose that immunological memory in CD4 T cells is mediated by an altered T cell receptor signal transduction apparatus, regulated by low-molecular weight CD45 isoforms.
- This altered structure enhances T cell triggering sensitivity, characteristic of memory cells.
- Multimolecular signal transduction system organization may be a general mechanism for cellular adaptation and acquisition of new phenotypes.