A ROLE FOR INTERLEUKIN-4 IN THE DIFFERENTIATION OF MATURE T-CELL RECEPTOR-GAMMA-DELTA+ CELLS FROM HUMAN INTRATHYMIC T-CELL PRECURSORS

We have analyzed the effect of human recombinant interleukin 4 (rIL4) 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 rIL4 (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-IL2 receptor a chain antibody. In our culture conditions, rIL4 also promotes the differentiation of preT cells into phenotypically mature T cells. Although both CD3/T cell receptor (TCR)-α/β+ and CD3-γ/δ+ T cells were obtained, the preferential differentiation into TCR-γ/δ+ cells was a consistent finding. These results suggest that, in addition to IL-2, IL4 plays a critical role in promoting growth and differentiation of intrathymic T cell precursors at early stages of T cell development. © 1990, Rockefeller University Press., All rights reserved.