Heterogeneity and plasticity of T helper cells  

作　　者：Jinfang Zhu William E Paul 

机构地区：[1]Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA

出　　处：《Cell Research》2010年第1期4-12,共9页细胞研究（英文版）

摘　　要：CD4 T helper （Th） cells play critical roles in adaptive immune responses. They recruit and activate other immune cells including B cells, CD8 T cells, macrophages, mast cells, neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils. Based on their functions, their pattern of cytokine secretion and their expression of specific transcription factors, Th cells, differentiated from naive CD4 T cells, are classified into four major lineages, Thl, Th2, Th17 and T regulatory （Treg） cells, although other Th lineages may exist. Subsets of the same lineage may express different effector cytokines, reside at different locations or give rise to cells with different fates, whereas cells from different lineages may secrete common cytokines, such as IL-2, IL-9 and IL-10, resulting in massive heterogeneity of the Th cell population. In addition, the pattern of cytokine secretion may switch from that of one lineage toward another under certain circumstances, suggesting that Th cells are plastic. Tregs are also more heterogeneous and plastic than were originally thought. In this review, we summarize recent reports on heterogeneity and plasticity of Th cells, and discuss potential mechanisms and implications of such features that Th cells display.

关 键 词：CD4 TREGS T cell differentiation transcription factors CYTOKINES 

分 类 号：S651[农业科学—果树学] P901[农业科学—园艺学]