title: Regulation of CD31 expression and interleukin-4 production by human cord blood CD4+ T cells with interleukin-4 and interleukin-7.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  T helper 2 cell type cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5, play pivotal roles in the development of allergic diseases. However, the mechanism by which naive CD4+ T cells acquire the ability to produce these cytokines remains unclear. Recently, it was reported that IL-7 induces the ability to produce IL-4 as well as interferon (IFN)-gamma and IL-5 in naive CD4+ T cells without TCR stimulation. To further analyze the mechanism of acquiring IL-4-producing ability by naive CD4+ T cells, the effects of IL-7 on human cord blood CD4+ T cells were compared with those of IL-4, which induced the ability to produce IFN-gamma but not IL-4.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Interleukin-7 preserved the population of CD4+CD31- T cells in cord blood and induced their IL-4-producing ability without T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation, while IL-4 induced CD31 on CD31- T cells and could not induce their IL-4-producing ability. Both the CD31-inducing effect and the inhibitory priming effect for IL-4-production by IL-4 were also observed after cord blood CD4+ T cells had been primed with IL-7 and acquired the IL-4-producing ability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interleukin-7 induced the IL-4-producing ability in naive CD4+CD31- T cells without TCR stimulation, suggesting that the signal transduction via CD31 may have an inhibitory effect on the acquisition of the IL-4-producing ability by cord blood CD4+ T cells in the absence of TCR stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan. kkenji@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katamura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kiyomasu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohmura
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iio
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ueno
mesh_terms: D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015851:Interleukin-7; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D015847:Interleukin-4