Abstract
CD3+ T lymphocytes were isolated by positive magnetic separation from the peripheral blood of healthy donors. In the absence of any additional activating stimuli, interleukin-7 (IL-7) was shown to augment the levels of T cells expressing CD25 activation marker both in CD4-positive and in CD4-negative effector memory (CD45RA-CD197-) T cell subsets, as well as in terminally differentiated (CD45RA+CD197-) T cells, without significantly affecting the activation status of naive (CD45RA+CD197+) and central memory (CD45RA-CD197+) T cells. In addition, IL-7 noticeably enhanced the production of IL-2, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and IL-10, but not IL-4, in T cells. The direct effects of IL-7 on T cell activation induced in vitro by MACSiBead™ particles coated with CD2, CD3, and CD28 antibodies (Abs) were also investigated. Upon cell activation, IL-7 significantly augmented the levels of CD25+ T cells in naive (CD45RA+CD197+), central memory (CD45RA-CD197+), and effector memory (CD45RA-CD197-) T-cell compartments. In addition, IL-7 facilitated activation of CD4- (but not CD4+) terminally differentiated effector (CD45RA+CD197-) T cells. Finally, IL-7 was found to upregulate the production of IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-10 by activated T cells. In conclusion, we speculate that IL-7 is capable of enhancing functional T cell activity without causing significant functional inbalance between various T cell subsets.
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Abbreviations
- Ab:
-
antibody
- IFN:
-
interferon
- IL:
-
interleukin
- PBMC:
-
peripheral blood mononuclear cell
- Th:
-
helper T cell
- Treg:
-
regulatory T cell
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Shmarov, V.A., Malashchenko, V.V., Meniailo, M.E. et al. Direct effects of interleukin-7 on the function of human T cells in vitro . Eur Cytokine Netw 27, 102–107 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1684/ecn.2016.0385
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1684/ecn.2016.0385