title: IL-12 and IL-18 induce interferon-γ production and de novo CD2 expression in porcine γδ T cells.
abstract: γδ T cells are highly abundant in the blood and spleen of pigs but little is known about their functional differentiation. In this study the potential of the type-1 polarizing cytokines IL-12 and IL-18 in combination with IL-2 and Concanavalin A (ConA) to stimulate porcine γδ T cells was investigated. Stimulation of purified γδ T cells with ConA and IL-2 induced a strong proliferation of CD2(-) γδ T cells, whereas additional stimulation with IL-12 and IL-18 caused a stronger proliferation of CD2(+) γδ T cells. IFN-γ could only be detected in supernatants of γδ T-cell cultures supplemented with IL-12 and IL-18. Experiments with sorted CD2/SWC5-defined γδ T-cell subsets revealed that CD2(+)SWC5(-) γδ T cells are the main producers of IFN-γ following stimulation with IL-2/IL-12/IL-18. Additional stimulation with ConA led to an upregulation of CD2 within the CD2(-) γδ T cell subsets, indicating a previously unnoticed plasticity of CD2-defined γδ T cell subsets.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Corinna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sedlak
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Patzl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saalmüller
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: wilhelm.gerner@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Wilhelm
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gerner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018801:CD2 Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics*; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000378:metabolism*; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000378:metabolism*; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018801:CD2 Antigens; D020382:Interleukin-18; D018664:Interleukin-12; D007371:Interferon-gamma
keywords: CD2; IFN-γ; IL-12; IL-18; Swine; γδ T cells