The Jak family tyrosine kinase Jak3 is required for IL-2 synthesis by naive/resting CD4+ T cells.

The Jak family tyrosine kinase, Jak3, is involved in signaling through cytokine receptors using the common gamma-chain. Mice deficient in Jak3 have mature T cells, all of which have an activated/memory cell phenotype but are unresponsive to in vitro stimulation. Due to this activated phenotype, it has been impossible to determine whether Jak3 plays a role in the responsiveness of naive/resting T cells. To circumvent this difficulty, we generated naive/resting Jak3-negative T cells by two genetic approaches. After stimulation, these cells failed to produce significant amounts of IL-2. Although no signaling defect could be detected, we did find that naive/resting Jak3-negative T cells have substantially reduced levels of the transcription factor NF-AT1 and moderately reduced levels of c-Jun and c-Fos. On the basis of these data, we propose that Jak3-dependent cytokine signals may be required to maintain the normal levels of basal transcription factors required for immediate responsiveness to Ag activation.