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From * Roche Milano Ricerche, I-20132 Milan, Italy; and Interleukin-12 (IL-12), a heterodimeric cytokine produced by activated monocytes and dendritic cells, plays a crucial role in regulating interferon (IFN)-
Department of Inflammation/
Autoimmune Diseases, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., Nutley, New Jersey 07110
production and in the generation of IFN-
-producing T helper 1 (Th1) cells. Here we show that the IL-12 receptor (IL12R)
2 subunit, a recently cloned binding and signal transducing component of the IL-12R,
is expressed on human Th1 but not Th2 clones and is induced during differentiation of human
naive cells along the Th1 but not the Th2 pathway. IL-12 and type I but not type II interferons
induce expression of the IL-12R
2 chain during in vitro T cell differentiation after antigen receptor triggering. The selective expression and regulation of the IL-12R
2 subunit may help
to understand the basis of Th1/Th2 differentiation and may provide therapeutic options for altering the Th1/Th2 balance in several immuno-pathological conditions such as autoimmune
diseases and allergies.
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