Differential effects of interleukin-2 and interleukin-7 on the induction of CD4 and CD8 expression by double-negative human thymocytes.
Expression of cell surface CD4 (in the absence of CD3/T cell receptor) characterizes an early stage of intrathymic T cell development. Here, we investigated the appearance of CD4 and CD8 expression on highly purified CD4-8- double-negative human thymocytes in response to interleukin (IL)-7 and IL-2. While IL-7 preferentially promoted the appearance of CD4 single-positive and CD4+8+ double-positive thymocytes, IL-2 primarily induced CD8 single-positive thymocytes. A significant fraction of CD4 single-positive cells generated from double-negative thymocytes via IL-7 lacked cell surface CD3 expression. In contrast, the majority of CD8 single-positive cells generated from double-negative thymocytes via IL-2 coexpressed CD3. We conclude that IL-7 and IL-2 exert differential effects on the differentiation of early human T cell progenitors.
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Institute of Immunology, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
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D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000276:immunology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000276:immunology; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology
D017252:CD3 Complex; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015850:Interleukin-6; D015851:Interleukin-7; D015847:Interleukin-4