Differentiation of T cell lymphokine gene expression: the in vitro acquisition of T cell memory.
A simple in vitro experimental system was devised to reflect the in vivo generation of a T cell anamnestic response so that T cell differentiation could be examined at the level of lymphokine gene expression. Comparison of neonatal and adult T cells revealed that both populations expressed the genes for interleukin 2 (IL-2) and its receptor, but only adult T cells were capable of transcribing mRNAs for IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, interferon gamma, and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor. However, neonatal T cells could be induced to undergo functional differentiation in vitro, thereby acquiring the capacity to express the lymphokine gene repertoire characteristic for adult T cells. These data suggest that the T cells generated from neonatal blood by a primary stimulation in vitro are functionally indistinguishable from the T cells in adult blood that presumably have undergone primary stimulation in vivo. Therefore, we propose that the term "memory cell" be applied to those T cells that can be identified by their differentiated state of inducible effector-lymphokine gene expression.
Ehlers
S
S
Department of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 03756.
Smith
K A
KA
D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology; D015870:Gene Expression; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000235:genetics*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D008222:Lymphokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor