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Mechanisms underlying lineage commitment and plasticity of human γδ T cells

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 10, pages 30–34 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Phenotypic and functional heterogeneity are the hallmarks of effector and memory T cells. Upon antigen stimulation, γδ T cells differentiate into two major types of memory T cells: central memory cells, which patrol the blood and secondary lymphoid organs, and effector memory cells, which migrate to peripheral tissues. γδ T cells display in vitro a certain degree of plasticity in their function that is reminiscent of that which is observed in conventional CD4 T cells. Similar to CD4 T cells, in which a plethora of specialized subsets affect the host response, γδ T cells may readily and rapidly assume distinct Th1-, Th2-, Th17-, TFH and T regulatory-like effector functions, suggesting that they profoundly influence cell-mediated and humoral immune responses. In addition to differences in cytokine repertoire, γδ T cells exhibit diversity in homing, such as migration to lymph node follicles, to help B cells versus migration to inflamed tissues. Here, we review our current understanding of γδ T-cell lineage heterogeneity and flexibility, with an emphasis on the human system, and propose a classification of effector γδ T cells based on distinct functional phenotypes.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Martin Lipp, Richard Kroczek and Vaclav Horejsi for providing us with reagents and Matthias Eberl, Marc Bonneville, Jean Jacques Fourniè and Emmanuel Scotet for sharing unpublished data. This work was supported by grants from the Ministry of University and Research (MIUR-PRIN 2008 to FD), the Ministry of Health ‘Ricerca Finalizzata 2007’ (to FD) and the University of Palermo.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche e Forensi, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Nadia Caccamo, Guido Sireci, Serena Meraviglia & Francesco Dieli

  2. Dipartimento di Discipline Chirurgiche ed Oncologiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Matilde Todaro & Giorgio Stassi

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  1. Nadia Caccamo
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Correspondence to Francesco Dieli.

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Caccamo, N., Todaro, M., Sireci, G. et al. Mechanisms underlying lineage commitment and plasticity of human γδ T cells. Cell Mol Immunol 10, 30–34 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/cmi.2012.42

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