Open Access

ARTICLE

Direct effects of interleukin-7 on the function of human T cells in vitro

Vyacheslav A. Shmarov, Vladimir V. Malashchenko, Maksim E. Meniailo, Natalia D. Gazatova, Natalia M. Todosenko, Olga B. Melashchenko, Andrei G. Goncharov, Victor I. Seledtsov

Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia

* Corresponding Author: Seledtsov V. I.,

European Cytokine Network 2016, 27(4), 102-107. https://doi.org/10.1684/ecn.2016.0385

Accepted 21 October 2016;

Abstract

CD3+ T lymphocytes were isolated by positive magnetic separation from the peripheral blood of healthy donors. In the absence of any additional activating stimuli, interleukin-7 (IL-7) was shown to augment the levels of T cells expressing CD25 activation marker both in CD4-positive and in CD4-negative effector memory (CD45RA^-CD197^-) T cell subsets, as well as in terminally differentiated (CD45RA⁺CD197^-) T cells, without significantly affecting the activation status of naive (CD45RA⁺CD197⁺) and central memory (CD45RA-CD197⁺) T cells. In addition, IL-7 noticeably enhanced the production of IL-2, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and IL-10, but not IL-4, in T cells. The direct effects of IL-7 on T cell activation induced in vitro by MACSiBead^TM particles coated with CD2, CD3, and CD28 antibodies (Abs) were also investigated. Upon cell activation, IL-7 significantly augmented the levels of CD25+ T cells in naive (CD45RA⁺CD197⁺), central memory (CD45RA^-CD197⁺), and effector memory (CD45RA^-CD197^-) T-cell compartments. In addition, IL-7 facilitated activation of CD4- (but not CD4⁺) terminally differentiated effector (CD45RA⁺CD197^-) T cells. Finally, IL-7 was found to upregulate the production of IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-10 by activated T cells. In conclusion, we speculate that IL-7 is capable of enhancing functional T cell activity without causing significant functional inbalance between various T cell subsets.

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