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TH1 and TH2 cells: a historical perspective

Abstract

Demonstration of the existence and functions of T helper (TH)1 and TH2 cells has had an enormous impact on basic and applied immunology. TH1 and TH2 cells have a crucial role in balancing the immune response. In this article, I attempt to trace the historical events contributing to the development of the TH1/TH2 concept, the current state of play, and briefly discuss the future prospects for the field.

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Figure 1: Inverse relationship between humoral and cell-mediated immunity.
Figure 2: Tim Mosmann and Bob Coffman.
Figure 3: Schematic representation of induction and regulation of TH1 and TH2 cells.
Figure 4: Transcriptional regulation of TH1 and TH2 cells.

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Acknowledgements

I thank N. A. Mitchison, W. E. Paul and K. Vickerman for critically reviewing the manuscript, and T. Mosmann, J. Lamb, S. Romagani, A. Fauci and H. Cantor for additional references. I am also grateful to H. Arthur and B. Leung for help in research and X. Wei for graphics. The work was supported by research grants from the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust.

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DATABASES

LocusLink

CD4

CD8

CD80

CD86

c-Maf

Gata3

GM-CSF

ICOS

IFN-α

IFN-γ

IgG1

IgG2a

IL-1

IL-2

IL-3

IL-4

IL-5

IL-12

Stat4

Stat6

T-bet

FURTHER INFORMATION

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences 

Hypersensitivity: T lymphocyte-mediating (type IV)

T lymphocytes: helpers

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Liew, F. TH1 and TH2 cells: a historical perspective. Nat Rev Immunol 2, 55–60 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri705

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