Abstract

Among Ag-inexperienced naive T cells, the CD1d-restricted NKT cell that uses invariant TCR-alpha-chain is the most widely studied cell capable of prompt IL-4 inducibility. We show in this study that thymus CD161-CD44lowCD4+CD8- T cells promptly produce IL-4 upon TCR stimulation, a response that displays biased Vbeta(2/7/8) and Valpha3.2 TCR usage. The association of Vbeta family bias and IL-4 inducibility in thymus CD161-CD44lowCD4+CD8- T cells is found for B6, B10, BALB/c, CBA, B10.A(4R), and ICR mouse strains. Despite reduced IL-4 inducibility, there is a similarly biased Vbeta(2/7/8) TCR usage by IL-4 inducibility+ spleen CD161-CD44lowCD4+CD8- T cells. Removal of alpha-galacotosylceramide/CD1d-binding cells from CD161-CD44lowCD4+CD8- thymocytes does not significantly affect their IL-4 inducibility. The development of thymus CD161-CD44lowCD4+CD8- T cells endowed with IL-4 inducibility and their associated use of Vbeta(2/7/8) are beta2-microglobulin-, CD1d-, and p59fyn-independent. Thymus CD161-CD44lowCD4+CD8- T cells produce low and no IFN-gamma inducibility in response to TCR stimulation and to IL-12 + IL-18, respectively, and they express diverse complementarity determining region 3 sequences for both TCR-alpha- and -beta-chains. Taken together, these results demonstrate the existence of a NKT cell distinct, TCR-repertoire diverse naive CD4+ T cell subset capable of prompt IL-4 inducibility. This subset has the potential to participate in immune response to a relatively large number of Ags. The more prevalent nature of this unique T cell subset in the thymus than the periphery implies roles it might play in intrathymic T cell development and may provide a framework upon which mechanisms of developmentally regulated IL-4 gene inducibility can be studied.