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CD7‐negative T cells represent a separate differentiation pathway in a subset of post‐thymic helper T cells
Author(s) -
REINHOLD U.,
LIU L.,
SESTERHENN J.,
ABKEN H.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.297
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1365-2567
pISSN - 0019-2805
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2567.1996.d01-744.x
Subject(s) - biology , antigen , cytotoxic t cell , interleukin 21 , t cell , immunology , t lymphocyte , antigen presenting cell , population , in vitro , immune system , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , genetics , environmental health
The absence of CD7 protein and the corresponding mRNA is a stable feature in a subset of normal circulating CD4 + memory T cells. It is still unresolved whether the CD7 − subset represents a specific T‐cell lineage. Here we show that repeated stimulation of highly purified CD4 + CD45RA + CD45RO − naive T cells in vitro leads to the development of a distinct memory subset that is defined by the expression versus non‐expression of the CD7 antigen. Comparing different T‐cell activation pathways (TCR/CD3, CD2), we observed that alternative signals were critically involved in the development of CD4 + CD7 − T cells. Peak mean numbers of CD7 − memory cells occurred after 3–5 cycles of restimulation in vitro . Naive T cells that had undergone repeated stimulations were harvested and sorted into CD7 + and CD7 − subsets. The vast majority (> 97%) of CD7 + T cells retained their expression, whereas the CD7 − population did not re‐express the antigen during further propagation of separated T‐cell subsets. In CD7 − cells no CD7 mRNA was monitored, indicating transcriptional regulation of CD7 expression. Certain differentiation‐related antigens, including the cutaneous lymphocyte antigen CLA, were preferentially expressed on CD7 − T cells. We suggest that absence of CD7 expression in a subset of CD4 + memory cells reflects a separate and stable differentiation state occurring late in the immune response. These T cells may represent the physiological counterpart of malignant T cells in certain forms of cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma.