Impaired survival of T helper cells in the absence of CD4.
Signal transduction in response to ligand recognition by T cell receptors regulates T cell fate within and beyond the thymus. Herein we examine the involvement of the CD4 molecule in the regulation of T helper cell survival. T helper cells that lack CD4 expression are prone to apoptosis and show diminished survival after adoptive transfer to irradiated recipients. The helper lineage in CD4(-/-) animals shows a higher than normal apparent rate of cell division and is also enriched for cells exhibiting a memory cell phenotype. Thus the data point to a necessary role for CD4 in the regulation of T helper cell survival and homeostasis.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0414, USA.
J
J
Strong
Q
Q
Wang
N
N
Killeen
D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000276:immunology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D051379:Mice; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000166:cytology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology
D015704:CD4 Antigens