We have analyzed the effect of human recombinant interleukin 4 (rIL-4) on the growth and differentiation of human intrathymic pre-T cells (CD7+2+1-3-4-8-). We describe that this population of T cell precursors proliferates in response to rIL-4 (in the absence of mitogens or other stimulatory signals) in a dose-dependent way. The IL-4-induced proliferation is independent of the IL-2 pathway, as it cannot be inhibited with an anti-IL-2 receptor alpha chain antibody. In our culture conditions, rIL-4 also promotes the differentiation of pre-T cells into phenotypically mature T cells. Although both CD3/T cell receptor (TCR)-alpha/beta + and CD3-gamma/delta + T cells were obtained, the preferential differentiation into TCR-gamma/delta + cells was a consistent finding. These results suggest that, in addition to IL-2, IL-4 plays a critical role in promoting growth and differentiation of intrathymic T cell precursors at early stages of T cell development.
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1 August 1990
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August 01 1990
A role for interleukin 4 in the differentiation of mature T cell receptor gamma/delta + cells from human intrathymic T cell precursors.
A Bárcena,
A Bárcena
Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
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M L Toribio,
M L Toribio
Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
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L Pezzi,
L Pezzi
Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
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C Martínez
C Martínez
Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
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A Bárcena
Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
M L Toribio
Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
L Pezzi
Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
C Martínez
Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
Online ISSN: 1540-9538
Print ISSN: 0022-1007
J Exp Med (1990) 172 (2): 439–446.
Citation
A Bárcena, M L Toribio, L Pezzi, C Martínez; A role for interleukin 4 in the differentiation of mature T cell receptor gamma/delta + cells from human intrathymic T cell precursors.. J Exp Med 1 August 1990; 172 (2): 439–446. doi: https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.172.2.439
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