Reciprocal regulation of CD30 expression on CD4+ T cells by IL-4 and IFN-gamma

Prior studies have implicated CD30 as a marker for Th2 cells, but the mechanism that underlies this correlation was unknown. We show here that CD30 was expressed on activated CD4+ T cells in the presence of IL-4. In the absence of endogenously produced IL-4, however, even Th2 lineage cells lost CD30 expression. Thus, CD30 is not an intrinsic marker of Th2 cells, but is inducible by IL-4. CD30 was also found to be down-regulated by IFN-gamma. Committed Th1 effector cells do not express CD30, although differentiating Th1 lineage cells temporarily express CD30. The transient expression of CD30 on differentiating Th1 lineage cells was mainly the result of endogenously produced IL-4 induced by IL-12. Culture of IL-12-primed cells under conditions that reverse the phenotype (Ag plus IL-4) resulted in two cell populations based upon their ability to express CD30. One population responded to IL-4 upon restimulation and became a CD30-positive, Th0-like cell population, while the other remained CD30 negative and synthesized only IFN-gamma. Thus, CD30 expressed on CD4+ T cells reflected the ability of CD4+ T cells to respond to IL-4.