Identification of a new pathway for Th1 cell development induced by cooperative stimulation with IL-4 and TGF-β

IL-4 plays an important role in the induction of Th2 and Th9 cells, as well as in the inhibition of Th1 cell generation. We show that a combination of IL-4 and TGF-β augments the development of Th1 cells that express CD103 (CD103(+) Th1 cells) if IFN-γ is present. The T-box-containing transcription factor eomesodermin (Eomes) is preferentially expressed in CD103(+) Th1 cells and is involved in IFN-γ production. The induction of T-bet during early T cell activation is essential for the formation of the active chromatin at both the Eomes and IFN-γ gene loci. TGF-β is required for the induction of Eomes and CD103, as well as the inhibition of Th2 cytokine expression. In addition, IL-4 induces Eomes transcription through activation of the Stat6-signaling pathway. IFN-γ-producing CD103(+) Th1 cells are detected in the intraepithelial lymphocytes of normal mice, and their numbers significantly decrease in Tbet- and Stat6-deficient mice. To our knowledge, these results represent the first molecular mechanism of IL-4/TGF-β-dependent augmentation of Th1 cell generation and raise the possibility that IL-4 and TGF-β simultaneously enhance the Th1 cell-mediated immune responses under certain cytokine conditions.