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Characterization of Subpopulations of T‐Cell Receptor Intermediate (TCR int ) T Cells
Author(s) -
Sköld,
Rytter,
Ivars,
Cardell
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3083.1999.00535.x
Subject(s) - t cell receptor , cd8 , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , cytotoxic t cell , cd1 , natural killer t cell , t cell , population , mhc class ii , major histocompatibility complex , immunology , antigen , immune system , in vitro , genetics , medicine , environmental health
CD1‐autoreactive T cells of two types have been demonstrated among T cells expressing the T‐cell receptor (TCR) αβ at intermediate levels (TCR int cells). One type constitutes a major fraction of the natural killer (NK)1.1 + TCR int population in C57BL/6 (B6) mice and carries a restricted TCR composed of an α‐chain with an invariant Vα14‐J281 rearrangement, and a β‐chain using Vβ8.2, 7 or 2. The second type utilises a variety of TCR and was derived from CD4 + cells in mice lacking MHC class II. To increase our understanding of the two different CD1‐reactive subsets, we have investigated and compared the populations of origin: NK1.1 + and NK1.1 − TCR int subsets from MHC class II‐deficient mice and CD4 + NK1.1 + T cells from B6 mice. The three TCR int populations shared a phenotype indicating previous activation, and contained low frequencies of cells expressing NK receptors of the Ly49 family. In contrast to control CD4 + cells, the three TCR int subsets produced high amounts of interleukin (IL)‐4 and interferon (IFN)‐γ after activation. Importantly, no IL‐10 could be detected in either TCR int population, implying a distinct function for these cells, different from those of conventional CD8 + and CD4 + cells, including the typical T‐helper 2 (Th2) cell. Analysis of TCR expression indicated that the proportion of cells using the semi‐invariant Vα14/Vβ8.2‐type TCR was lower in NK1.1 + cells from MHC class II‐negative mice than in CD4 + NK1.1 + B6 cells. Further, usage of the Vα14‐J281 rearrangement was also demonstrated among NK1.1 − TCR int cells.