Peterson J D, Herzenberg L A, Vasquez K, Waltenbaugh C
Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University, Medical School, Chicago, IL 60611-3072, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Mar 17;95(6):3071-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.95.6.3071.
Current thinking attributes the balance between T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 cytokine response patterns in immune responses to the nature of the antigen, the genetic composition of the host, and the cytokines involved in the early interaction between T cells and antigen-presenting cells. Here we introduce glutathione, a tripeptide that regulates intracellular redox and other aspects of cell physiology, as a key regulatory element in this process. By using three different methods to deplete glutathione from T cell receptor transgenic and conventional mice and studying in vivo and/or in vitro responses to three distinct antigens, we show that glutathione levels in antigen-presenting cells determine whether Th1 or Th2 response patterns predominate. These findings present new insights into immune response alterations in HIV and other diseases. Further, they potentially offer an explanation for the well known differences in immune responses in "Th1" and "Th2" mouse strains.
目前的观点认为，免疫反应中辅助性T细胞1（Th1）和辅助性T细胞2（Th2）细胞因子反应模式之间的平衡取决于抗原的性质、宿主的基因组成以及T细胞与抗原呈递细胞早期相互作用中涉及的细胞因子。在此，我们引入谷胱甘肽，一种调节细胞内氧化还原状态及细胞生理其他方面的三肽，作为这一过程中的关键调节因子。通过使用三种不同方法使T细胞受体转基因小鼠和常规小鼠体内的谷胱甘肽耗竭，并研究对三种不同抗原的体内和/或体外反应，我们发现抗原呈递细胞中的谷胱甘肽水平决定了Th1或Th2反应模式何者占主导。这些发现为HIV及其他疾病中免疫反应的改变提供了新见解。此外，它们可能为“Th1”和“Th2”小鼠品系免疫反应中众所周知的差异提供一种解释。
