瑞士苏黎世联邦理工学院Manfred Kopf和Luigi Tortola研究团队在研究中取得进展。他们通过对辅助性（Th）T细胞进行高维分析揭示了稳定效应因子状态的广泛多样性及谱系间的关系。相关论文于2020年7月30日在线发表在《免疫》杂志上。

研究人员利用细胞计数法分析了体外和动物疾病模型中产生Th细胞反应的多样性，揭示了具有不同细胞因子印记效应因子状态的巨大异质性。在Th1和Th2细胞极化条件下初次抗原相遇期间建立的细胞因子反应多样性在二次抗原刺激下才能维持，而这与新炎症环境无关，这突出了许多已鉴定的细胞状态为稳定Th细胞的亚系。研究人员还发现，在受到刺激后Th17细胞趋于上调与Th2细胞相关的细胞因子，这表明Th17与Th2细胞之间的发展联系比以前预期的更紧密。

据悉，CD4⁺Th细胞是免疫系统的基石。按照标志性细胞因子和转录因子的表达情况已经定义了几个Th亚群。人们认为Th细胞的异质性和功能性要比最初认为的要高得多，但是由于技术上的限制，无法充分表征其多样性。

附：英文原文

Title: High-Dimensional T Helper Cell Profiling Reveals a Broad Diversity of Stably Committed Effector States and Uncovers Interlineage Relationships

Author: Luigi Tortola, Andrea Jacobs, Lea Pohlmeier, Franz-Josef Obermair, Franziska Ampenberger, Bernd Bodenmiller, Manfred Kopf

Issue&Volume: 2020-07-30

Abstract: CD4+ T helper (Th) cells are fundamental players in immunity. Based on the expressionof signature cytokines and transcription factors, several Th subsets have been defined.Th cells are thought to be far more heterogeneous and multifunctional than originallybelieved, but characterization of the full diversity has been hindered by technicallimitations. Here, we employ mass cytometry to analyze the diversity of Th cell responsesgenerated in vitro and in animal disease models, revealing a vast heterogeneity of effector states withdistinct cytokine footprints. The diversities of cytokine responses established duringprimary antigen encounters in Th1- and Th2-cell-polarizing conditions are largelymaintained after secondary challenge, regardless of the new inflammatory environment,highlighting many of the identified states as stable Th cell sublineages. We alsofind that Th17 cells tend to upregulate Th2-cell-associated cytokines upon challenge,indicating a closer developmental connection between Th17 and Th2 cells than previouslyanticipated.

DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2020.07.001

Source: https://www.cell.com/immunity/fulltext/S1074-7613(20)30281-8