title: Immunologic immaturity, but high IL-4 productivity, of murine neonatal thymic CD4 single-positive T cells in the last stage of maturation.
abstract: To determine the levels of maturation and differentiation of murine CD4 single-positive (SP) T cells, we compared the secondary responses of staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA)-induced neonatal thymic, adult thymic and adult splenic CD4 SP T cell blasts prepared from whole or heat-stable antigen(low) CD4 SP T cells. Proliferative responses upon re-stimulation with SEA were strong in adult splenic CD4 SP T cell blasts, but quite weak in neonatal thymic and adult thymic CD4 SP T cell blasts. SEA-induced IL-2 production was weaker in neonatal thymic blasts than in the adult splenic CD4 SP T cell blasts. In contrast, SEA-induced IL-4 production was high in neonatal thymic CD4 SP T cell blasts, and low in adult splenic and thymic CD4 SP T cell blasts. Expression of GATA-3, that directs production of IL-4 in T cells, examined at protein and mRNA levels, was higher in neonatal thymic cells than in adult thymic and splenic cells. These results suggest that neonatal and adult thymic CD4 SP T cells in the final stage of maturation are relatively immature compared with adult splenic CD4 SP T cells. The cytokine production profile of neonatal thymic CD4 SP T cells suggests that they are inclined towards a T(h)2 response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University,8-1 Kawada-Cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Madoka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koyanagi
authors.forename: Ken'ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Imanishi
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arimura
authors.forename: Hidehito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchiyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D050990:GATA3 Transcription Factor; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000196:embryology / Q000276:immunology*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D050990:GATA3 Transcription Factor; C494748:Gata3 protein, mouse; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015534:Trans-Activators; D015847:Interleukin-4; C026066:enterotoxin A, Staphylococcal