T-Cell Surface Molecule Expression and Interferon-γ Production in Human Cord Blood

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Abstract
We investigated T-cell surface antigen expression and the production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) by human cord and adult blood cells. Cord blood lymphocytes stimulated with Staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB) released only minimal titers of IFN-γ and IL-2 in comparison with adult blood lymphocytes. Systematic analyses of several cell-surface molecules on untreated cord blood and adult blood T cells demonstrated a significant reduction of CD8+ subset numbers in cord blood. Furthermore, cord blood lymphocytes did not express the memory T-cell marker CD45RO. No differences were found in γ/δ T-cell receptor (TCR), CD5, and CD25 antigen expression between untreated cord blood and adult blood. However, cord blood mononuclear cells showed a decreased CD25 antigen expression in comparison to those of adults following activation with SEB. These observations suggest that the decrease in the proportion of some T-cell subsets and the absence of CD45RO memory T cells may be responsible for the diminished lymphokine production of cord blood lymphocytes.