Interleukin-4 mediates CD8 induction on human CD4+ T-cell clones.
CD4 and CD8 antigens are simultaneously expressed on most of the cortical thymocytes, that weakly express the T-cell antigen receptor(TCR)/CD3 complex. Mature peripheral T cells, however, strongly express the TCR complex and are positive for either CD4 or CD8. Nevertheless, a small percentage of peripheral CD3+ T cells express CD4 and CD8 simultaneously. These mature, double positive cells could be intermediates between CD4+CD8+ thymocytes and mature, single positive T cells, or they may originate from single positive T cells that acquire either CD4 or CD8. Here we report that activation and culturing of cloned CD4+ T cells in interleukin-4 (IL-4), results in the acquisition of CD8 due to its de novo synthesis. The IL-4-induced co-expression of CD8 on CD4+ T cells is reversible, in that CD8 disappeared from double positive T-cell clones isolated in IL-4, when they were cultured in IL-2. CD8 induced by IL-4 can be functional as a monoclonal antibody to CD8 inhibited anti-CD3-mediated cytotoxicity by a double positive T-cell clone.
Paliard
X
X
UNICET, Laboratory for Immunological Research, Dardilly, France.
Malefijt
R W
RW
de Vries
J E
JE
Spits
H
H
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002999:Clone Cells; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007378:Interleukins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D007376:Interleukin-2; D007378:Interleukins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015847:Interleukin-4