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  • Title: Characterization of subsets of CD4+ memory T cells reveals early branched pathways of T cell differentiation in humans.
    Author: Song K, Rabin RL, Hill BJ, De Rosa SC, Perfetto SP, Zhang HH, Foley JF, Reiner JS, Liu J, Mattapallil JJ, Douek DC, Roederer M, Farber JM.
    Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A; 2005 May 31; 102(22):7916-21. PubMed ID: 15905333.
    Abstract:
    The pathways for differentiation of human CD4(+) T cells into functionally distinct subsets of memory cells in vivo are unknown. The identification of these subsets and pathways has clear implications for the design of vaccines and immune-targeted therapies. Here, we show that populations of apparently naive CD4(+) T cells express the chemokine receptors CXCR3 or CCR4 and demonstrate patterns of gene expression and functional responses characteristic of memory cells. The proliferation history and T cell receptor repertoire of these chemokine-receptor(+) cells suggest that they are very early memory CD4(+) T cells that have "rested down" before acquiring the phenotypes described for "central" or "effector" memory T cells. In addition, the chemokine-receptor(+) "naive" populations contain Th1 and Th2 cells, respectively, demonstrating that Th1/Th2 differentiation can occur very early in vivo in the absence of markers conventionally associated with memory cells. We localized ligands for CXCR3 and CCR4 to separate foci in T cell zones of tonsil, suggesting that the chemokine-receptor(+) subsets may be recruited and contribute to segregated, polarized microenvironments within lymphoid organs. Importantly, our data suggest that CD4(+) T cells do not differentiate according to a simple schema from naive --> CD45RO(+) noneffector/central memory --> effector/effector memory cells. Rather, developmental pathways branch early on to yield effector/memory populations that are highly heterogeneous and multifunctional and have the potential to become stable resting cells.
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