Differential Regulation of Activation-Induced Cell Death in Individual Human T Cell Clones

BACKGROUND: Restimulation of T lymphocytes via the TCR/CD3 complex can result in CD95/CD95L-dependent activation-induced cell death (AICD). Although the correlation of AICD sensitivity to the T helper 1 phenotype was confirmed in different studies, the underlying mechanism is still debated. Thus, it has been suggested that in Th2 cells, AICD resistance is controlled by a TCR-induced upregulation of the CD95-associated inhibitory phosphatase, FAP-1. We and others demonstrated that AICD resistance is associated with a reduced surface expression of CD95L upon restimulation. METHODS: Utilizing RT-PCR, Western blotting and flow cytometry, we analyzed time-dependent changes in levels of CD95L mRNA, cytosolic protein and surface expression in five long-term human T cell clones and polarized helper populations. RESULTS: We confirm that the inducible CD95L surface expression is lower or absent in all tested AICD-resistant clones as compared to sensitive cells. It is of interest that striking differences with respect to the activation-dependent inducibility of CD95L mRNA expression in individual resistant clones were observed. In addition, alterations in the expression of the inhibitory phosphatase FAP-1 or TCR-dependent changes in CD95 sensitivity in AICD-resistant clones could be ruled out as a mechanism for AICD resistance of human T cell clones. CONCLUSIONS: (1) The data presented strongly support the previous notion that AICD resistance of human T cell clones is mainly regulated by a differential expression of CD95L. (2) Differential expression of CD95L on individual resistant clones results from a lack of mRNA induction in one set and from a markedly decreased surface expression of translated protein in another set of clones.