Defective IgE production by SJL mice is linked to the absence of CD4+, NK1.1+ T cells that promptly produce interleukin 4.
SJL mice produce little or no IgE in response to polyclonal stimulation with anti-IgD antibody and fail to express interleukin 4 (IL-4) mRNA in the spleen 5 days after injection of anti-IgD, in contrast to other mouse strains that produce substantial amounts of IgE and IL-4. Because IL-4 is critical in IgE production, the possibility that SJL mice are poor IgE producers because their naive T cells fail to differentiate into IL-4 producers must be seriously considered. IL-4 itself is the principal factor determining that naive T cells develop into IL-4 producers. A major source of IL-4 for such differentiation is a population of CD1-specific CD4+ T cells that express NK1.1. These cells produce IL-4 within 90 min of anti-CD3 injection. T cells from SJL mice fail to produce IL-4 in response to injection of anti-CD3. Similarly, SJL T cells and CD4+ thymocytes do not produce IL-4 in response to acute in vitro stimulation. SJL T cells show a marked deficiency in CD4+ cells that express the surface receptors associated with the NK1.1+ T-cell phenotype. This result indicates that the SJL defect in IgE and IL-4 production is associated with, and may be due to, the absence of the CD4+, NK1.1+ T-cell population.
Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1892, USA.
T
T
Yoshimoto
A
A
Bendelac
J
J
Hu-Li
W E
WE
Paul
D000818:Animals; D017252:CD3 Complex; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007107:Immune System / Q000002:abnormalities*; D007072:Immunoglobulin D / Q000276:immunology; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000172:deficiency*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology
D017252:CD3 Complex; D007072:Immunoglobulin D; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007073:Immunoglobulin E