Nature versus nurture in T cell cytokine production

Both extrinsic and intrinsic factors influence the development of cytokine expression patterns in T lymphocytes. The models proposed to accommodate th ese factors are often separated into two types: deterministic (or instructi onal) and probabilistic (or stochastic). In this review we compare these tw o types of models and examine how they account for different stages of T ce ll cytokine responses to antigen stimulation. We conclude by showing how a reconciliation of the two types of models may he possible, perhaps through the regulatory potential of heritable epigenetic mechanisms. This type of r econciliation may open up new avenues for manipulating T cell cytokine expr ession and redirecting immune responses.