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The role of Th2 type CD4 + T cells and Th2 type CD8 + T cells in asthma
Author(s) -
ERB KLAUS J,
GROS GRAHAM LE
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
immunology and cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0818-9641
DOI - 10.1038/icb.1996.29
Subject(s) - cytotoxic t cell , cd8 , interleukin 4 , immunology , t cell , interleukin 3 , interleukin 21 , biology , immune system , interferon , interleukin 12 , in vitro , genetics
Summary The cellular inflammatory responses which are seen in allergic and asthmatic diseases are viewed as being quite strongly dependent on the activities of T cells and their products. The major T cell subset involved appears to be the so‐called CD4 + Th2 subset which produces interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) and interleukin‐5 (IL‐5). In vitro and in vivo experiments have indicated that IL‐4 is a key regulator in these kinds of immune responses, not only switching B cells to IgE production, but acting on CD4 + T cells to drive their development towards a Th2 phenotype. Recent results have shown that the functional phenotype of CD8 + T cells can be switched from interferon γ production to IL‐4 and IL‐5 production by the presence of IL‐4. This could prove an especially important phenomenon since it is the production of interferon γ by CD8 T cells which is seen as necessary for protection against virus infection. This short review updates our current knowledge of how IL‐4 can act on CD4 + and CD8 + T cell subsets in in vivo models of asthma and allergic disease.