Constitutive cytokine mRNAs mark natural killer (NK) and NK T cells poised for rapid effector function.
Natural killer (NK) and NK T cells are tissue lymphocytes that secrete cytokines rapidly upon stimulation. Here, we show that these cells maintain distinct patterns of constitutive cytokine mRNAs. Unlike conventional T cells, NK T cells activate interleukin (IL)-4 and interferon (IFN)-gamma transcription during thymic development and populate the periphery with both cytokine loci previously modified by histone acetylation. Similarly, NK cells transcribe and modify the IFN-gamma gene, but not IL-4, during developmental maturation in the bone marrow. Lineage-specific patterns of cytokine transcripts predate infection and suggest evolutionary selection for invariant but distinct types of effector responses among the earliest responding lymphocytes.
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Related Subject Headings
- Transcription, Genetic
- T-Lymphocytes
- RNA, Messenger
- Promoter Regions, Genetic
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice
- Killer Cells, Natural
- Interleukin-4
- Interferon-gamma
- Immunology
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Transcription, Genetic
- T-Lymphocytes
- RNA, Messenger
- Promoter Regions, Genetic
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice
- Killer Cells, Natural
- Interleukin-4
- Interferon-gamma
- Immunology