title: Differential effects of glucocorticosteroids on the functions of subpopulations of helper T lymphocytes.
abstract: The in vitro effects of dexamethasone on the activities of Th1 and Th2 helper cell subpopulations were examined in secondary (IgG) responses to hapten-carrier conjugates under conditions where the selective or dominant expression of their individual activities could be observed. In the induction of IgG anti-hapten responses, carrier-primed Th1 cells cooperate with hapten-primed B cells by linked recognition of antigen, while carrier-primed Th2 cells cooperate with hapten-specific B cells by unlinked recognition of antigen. The function of carrier-primed Th1 cells was resistant to inactivation by dexamethasone. In contrast, the function of carrier-primed Th2 cells was abolished in the presence of pharmacologic concentrations of the steroid. The differential effects of dexamethosone on the activities of the two subpopulations of helper T cells could not be attributed to selective inhibition of a subpopulation of B cells which cooperate with Th2 cells.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004136:Dinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006433:Hemocyanins / Q000276:immunology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D012756:Sheep; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D004136:Dinitrobenzenes; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D003907:Dexamethasone; D006433:Hemocyanins