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Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Mouse Naïve CD4+ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets
Published on: April 16, 2015
T cells with commitment issues
1Departments of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal, CRCHUM-Notre-Dame Hospital, Pavilion JA DeSeve, 1560 Sherbrooke E, Montreal, QC, Canada H2L 4M1. raphael.schneider@umontreal.ca
Abstract:
T cells are a central element of cell-mediated immunity. Host detection of infectious agents leads to antigen presentation and release of cytokines that cause naïve T cells to develop into effector T cells or regulatory T cells (T(reg) cells). Effector T cells act to control the invading agents and mediate tissue inflammation. T(reg) cells maintain immune homeostasis by suppressing effector T cell responses to prevent collateral damage. Until recently, T cell differentiation into distinct subsets with different functions had been considered irreversible. However, new evidence suggests that some differentiated T cell subsets are more phenotypically flexible than others. Studying the plasticity of T cells and the underlying signaling mechanisms may lead to important clues for understanding immunity and autoimmunity.
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