Lymphokine regulation of CD45R expression on human T cell clones.

Whether the expression of higher molecular weight isoforms of the T-200 complex represents different lineages of T cells and/or a sequential stage of the differential pathway of T cells has been unclear. Understanding T cell expression of higher molecular weight isoforms of the T-200 complex (CD45R) may be important because of their association with regulation of immune responses. By direct single cell cloning, we observed a number of long-term T cell clones that expressed CD45RA (2H4). CD45RA expression could be further regulated by ionomycin or the cytokines IL-1 and IL-6, but not IL-2, IL-4, or IFN-gamma. These results indicate that CD45RA expression may define T cell lineages of activated T cells partially controlled by the cytokines IL-1 and IL-6. Further, these results may associate regulatory actions of IL-1 and IL-6 with their ability to increase CD45RA expression in subpopulations of human T cells.