CYTOKINE REGULATION OF T-CELL FUNCTION - POTENTIAL FOR THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION

CD4+ T cells, via the cytokines that they produce, play a pivotal role in the induction and regulation of cell-mediated and humoral immunity . Recently it has become clear that the CD4+ T-cell population is hete rogeneous and that distinct CD4+ T-cell subsets, defined by their cyto kine repertoire, regulate cell-mediated and humoral immune responses. Protective responses to pathogens are dependent on activation of the a ppropriate T(H) subset accompanied by its characteristic set of immune effector functions. Evidence to date suggests that the cytokines prod uced by the T(H) cells themselves are important regulators of T(H) sub set activation and differentiation. Fiona Powrie and Robert Coffman di scuss how manipulation of the levels of these cytokines can be used to alter the balance of T(H)-cell subsets and illustrate some clinical s ituations where this may be beneficial.