TCR V alpha 24 and V beta 11 coexpression defines a human NK1 T cell analog containing a unique Th0 subpopulation

Murine NK1 natural T (NT) cells are a population of alphabeta T cells that express NK cell receptors and an invariant TCR rearrangement. These cells rapidly produce large amounts of IL-4 upon activation and have been suggested to promote Th2 differentiation. We sought to determine whether a human NK1 T cell analogue could be detected in PBMC, and if so, characterize the TCR usage, cytokine expression, and surface phenotype of this subset. Using flow cytometry, we have demonstrated a distinct population of V alpha24+, V beta11+, CD56+ T cells consistent with NT cells. Upon sequencing, these cells expressed an invariant V alpha24-J alphaQ TCR rearrangement, verifying their identity as a human NK1 T cell analogue. NT cells demonstrated increased frequencies of both IFN-gamma and IL-4 production. Strikingly, 30 to 45% of CD4+ NT cells expressed IL-4, a sixfold greater frequency than that seen in mainstream CD4+ alphabeta T cells. Contrary to the pattern seen with mainstream T cells, virtually all IL-4-producing NT cells coexpressed IFN-gamma, indicating that this subset of NT cells has a unique Th0 phenotype. These data establish that V alpha24+ NT cells are a potent source of IL-4 and as such, may play a role in Th2 priming in human immune responses. This work demonstrates that human NT cells can be phenotypically identified and functionally studied in the blood of healthy or diseased subjects.