title: Single naive CD4+ T cells from a diverse repertoire produce different effector cell types during infection.
abstract: A naive CD4(+) T cell population specific for a microbial peptide:major histocompatibility complex II ligand (p:MHCII) typically consists of about 100 cells, each with a different T cell receptor (TCR). Following infection, this population produces a consistent ratio of effector cells that activate microbicidal functions of macrophages or help B cells make antibodies. We studied the mechanism that underlies this division of labor by tracking the progeny of single naive T cells. Different naive cells produced distinct ratios of macrophage and B cell helpers but yielded the characteristic ratio when averaged together. The effector cell pattern produced by a given naive cell correlated with the TCR-p:MHCII dwell time or the amount of p:MHCII. Thus, the consistent production of effector cell subsets by a polyclonal population of naive cells results from averaging the diverse behaviors of individual clones, which are instructed in part by the strength of TCR signaling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Noah J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Tubo
authors.forename: Antonio J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Pagán
authors.forename: Justin J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Ryan W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Jonathan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Linehan
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ertelt
authors.forename: Eric S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Huseby
authors.forename: Sing Sing
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Way
authors.forename: Marc K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Jenkins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000378:metabolism*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell