Allelic selection of human IL-2 gene.

The allelic expression of mouse IL-2 cannot be definitely extrapolated to what might happen in humans. Therefore, we investigated the regulation of allelic expression of the IL-2 gene in non-genetically manipulated human T lymphocytes by following natural allelic polymorphisms. We found a phenotypically silent punctual change in the human IL-2 at position 114 after the first nucleotide of the initiation codon, which represents a dimorphic polymorphism at the first exon of the IL-2 gene. This allowed the study by single-cell PCR of the regulation of the human IL-2 allelic expression in heterozygous CD4(+) T cells, which was found to be tightly controlled monoallelically. These findings may be used as a suitable marker for monitoring the IL-2 allelic contribution to effector activities and in immune responses against different infections or in pathological situations.