Individual CD4+ T cells can become one of a number of helper (Th) lineages with distinct effector functions. However, whether biases in Th potential exist prior to antigen encounter is unknown. Studies have identified cell-intrinsic functional heterogeneity among naïve T cells that can be parsed based on the strength of T-cell receptor (TCR) interactions with self-peptide. Here, using CD5 levels as a surrogate for the strength of these basal TCR signals, we sought to identify pre-existing effector biases in the CD4+ T-cell lineage. We show that ex vivo-activated CD5lo CD4+ T cells produce greater amounts of the Th1 cytokine interferon-gamma (IFNγ) than their CD5hi counterparts. In addition, a greater percentage of CD5lo effector CD4+ T cells produce IFNγ in both polyclonal and monoclonal CD4+ T-cell populations after antigen challenge in vivo. These results suggest that differential IFNγ production potential exists among CD4+ T cells prior to activation and independent of TCR affinity for foreign antigen.

中文翻译：

---

在初次接触CD4 + T细胞之前，存在差异的干扰素-γ产生潜能。

单个CD4 + T细胞可以成为具有独特效应功能的众多辅助（Th）谱系之一。但是，尚不清楚在抗原接触之前是否存在Th电位的偏差。研究已经确定，可以基于T细胞受体（TCR）与自身肽相互作用的强度来解析幼稚T细胞之间的细胞内在功能异质性。在这里，我们使用CD5水平作为这些基础TCR信号强度的替代指标，我们试图确定CD4 + T细胞谱系中预先存在的效应子偏向。我们显示离体激活的CD5lo CD4 + T细胞比其CD5hi对应物产生更大数量的Th1细胞因子干扰素-γ（IFNγ）。此外，体内抗原攻击后，更多百分比的CD5lo效应CD4 + T细胞在多克隆和单克隆CD4 + T细胞群体中均产生IFNγ。