Getting the message through; signal transduction and integration in T helper cell lineage commitment
Summary
Helper T lymphocytes are master regulators of the adaptive immune response. Recent years have
demonstrated the existence of four functionally distinct effector subsets: type 1, type 2, regulatory and IL-17
producing T helper cells. Manipulation of T helper cell differentiation may prove useful for effective vaccine
development and treatment of allergic and autoimmune diseases.
Here, I discuss which signals control T helper cell lineage commitment, how these multiple signals are
integrated during the polarisation process and subsequent cross-regulatory mechanisms that effectuate lineage
stabilisation, affording new insights into the role of T cell receptor-mediated and co-stimulatory signals in T
helper cell polarisation and the role of suppressors of cytokine signalling (SOCS) family members in lineage
stabilisation.