Global characterization of differential gene expression profiles in mouse Vγ1+ and Vγ4+ γδ T cells

Peripheral γδ T cells in mice are classified into two major subpopulations, Vγ1+ and Vγ4+, based on the composition of T cell receptors. However, their intrinsic differences remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed gene expression profiles of the two subsets using Illumina HiSeq 2000 Sequencer. We identified 1995 transcripts related to the activation of Vγ1+ γδ T cells, and 2158 transcripts related to the activation of Vγ4+ γδ T cells. We identified 24 transcripts differentially expressed between the two subsets in resting condition, and 20 after PMA/Ionomycin treatment. We found that both cell types maintained phenotypes producing IFN-γ, TNF-α, TGF-β and IL-10. However, Vγ1+ γδ T cells produced more Th2 type cytokines, such as IL-4 and IL-5, while Vγ4+ γδ T cells preferentially produced IL-17. Our study provides a comprehensive gene expression profile of mouse peripheral Vγ1+ and Vγ4+ γδ T cells that describes the inherent differences between them.