LACK OF INTERFERON-GAMMA RECEPTOR-BETA CHAIN AND THE PREVENTION OF INTERFERON-GAMMA SIGNALING IN T(H)1 CELLS

The ability of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) to inhibit the proliferati on of type 2 T helper cells (T(H)2), but not that of type 1 (T(H)1) ce lls, suggests that helper cell subsets might differ in their activatio n of the IFN-gamma signaling pathway. The IFN-gamma-inducible signal t ransducing factor (STF-IFN gamma) was activated in murine T(H)2 but no t in T(H)1 cell clones, because in the latter the second chain of the IFN-gamma receptor (accessory factor 1 or IFN-gamma R beta) was absent . Thus, T(H)1 cells use receptor modification to prevent the activatio n of STF-IFN gamma and achieve an IFN-gamma-resistant state.