CD2 expression on murine intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes is bimodal and defines proliferative capacity

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Abstract
The CD2 molecule is normally expressed on nearly all murine lymphocytes, and is co-stimulatory in T cell activation via the antigen receptor (TCR). A naturally occurring T lymphocyte population that is bimodal for CD2 expression was found in the intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL). TCRαβ+ IEL contain CD2− and CD2+ cells of approximately equal proportion, while TCRγδ+ IEL are predominantly CD2−. The proliferative response of IEL to stimulation with an anti-CD3 mAb or with PMA plus ionomycin co-segregated with CD2 expression; the CD2+ subset proliferated vigorously under these conditions while the CD2− subset was much less responsive. The responding CD2+ IEL contained both TCRαβ+ and TCRγδ+ cells. However, activation of the CD2− IEL with anti-CD3 mAb resulted in only the expansion of TCRγδ+ IEL, while activation with PMA plus ionomycin did not promote expansion of either the TCRαβ+ or the TCRγδ+ IEL. These findings parallel observations in the autoimmune lpr mouse, where massive numbers of peripheral TCRαβ+CD4−CD8− T cells that lack CD2 expression are also hyporesponsive to mltogenic stimulation. The apparent energy of CD2−TCRαβ+ IEL, as well as CD2− T cells from lpr mice, demonstrates that the absence of CD2 on TCRαβ+ T lymphocytes co-segregates with nonresponsiveness.

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