Key Points
-
Interleukin-12 (IL-12) and IL-4 are widely considered the main inducers of T helper 1 (TH1)- and TH2-cell differentiation, respectively. However, many TH1- and TH2-cell responses in vivo occur in the absence of these cytokines, which suggests that there are other signals that can promote the differentiation of these T-cell lineages.
-
Notch cell-surface receptors have an intracellular domain that acts as a transcription factor following ligand binding of the extracellular domain. The Notch signalling pathway has been implicated in IL-12-independent TH1-cell differentiation and in IL-4-independent TH2-cell differentiation.
-
Notch ligands of the Delta-like ligand (DLL) family promote TH1-cell differentiation in gain-of-function studies and are expressed by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) that induce TH1-cell differentiation. Studies in which the Notch signalling pathway was disabled did not show a defect in TH1-cell responses, but this may have been because the experiments were not carried out under appropriate conditions. DLL proteins seem to have a specific role in IL-12-independent TH1-cell responses.
-
Notch may induce TH1-cell differentiation by directly transactivating Tbx21 (which encodes T-bet), by prolonging the activity of certain nuclear factor-κB family members and by inhibiting IL-4-receptor signalling.
-
Genetic loss-of-function experiments have shown that Notch is required for TH2-cell responses in vivo. The expression of members of the Jagged family of Notch ligands by APCs correlates with the induction of TH2-cell differentiation. In-gain-of function studies, Jagged ligands can promote TH2-cell differentiation, but whether they also mediate this function in vivo has not been established.
-
Notch-mediated TH2-cell differentiation involves direct transcriptional control of the genes encoding the TH2-cell master regulator GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA3) and of Il4.
-
Whether Notch signalling induces TH1- or TH2-cell differentiation may depend on the specific ligand involved (DLL or Jagged). Although the mechanisms are not yet clear, it is possible that the involvement of different Notch proteins with different target gene specificities are important, or that quantitative, qualitative or temporal differences in the activation of Notch signalling by a given Notch receptor could lead to different cellular responses.
Abstract
Interleukin-12 (IL-12) and IL-4 induce T helper 1 (TH1)- and TH2-cell differentiation, respectively, in vitro. However, not all TH1-cell responses require IL-12 in vivo, and TH2-cell responses are remarkably independent of IL-4-receptor signalling, suggesting that other polarizing signals must exist. Accumulating evidence indicates that Notch is a candidate receptor that might mediate these signals. However, contrasting roles for Notch have been proposed: some evidence shows that Notch promotes TH1-cell differentiation, whereas other evidence supports a prominent role for Notch in TH2-cell differentiation. In this Review, we discuss recent findings that help to reconcile this discrepancy and highlight the accumulating evidence for the role of Notch in T-cell-mediated diseases.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
£139.00 per year
only £11.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Weaver, C. T., Hatton, R. D., Mangan, P. R. & Harrington, L. E. IL-17 family cytokines and the expanding diversity of effector T cell lineages. Annu. Rev. Immunol. 25, 821–852 (2007).
Abbas, A. K., Murphy, K. M. & Sher, A. Functional diversity of helper T lymphocytes. Nature 383, 787–793 (1996).
Bettelli, E., Korn, T., Oukka, M. & Kuchroo, V. K. Induction and effector functions of TH17 cells. Nature 453, 1051–1057 (2008).
Kapsenberg, M. L. Dendritic-cell control of pathogen-driven T-cell polarization. Nature Rev. Immunol. 3, 984–993 (2003).
Brombacher, F. et al. IL-12 is dispensable for innate and adaptive immunity against low doses of Listeria monocytogenes. Int. Immunol. 11, 325–332 (1999).
Kaplan, M. H., Wurster, A. L. & Grusby, M. J. A signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat)4-independent pathway for the development of T helper type 1 cells. J. Exp. Med. 188, 1191–1196 (1998).
Magram, J. et al. IL-12-deficient mice are defective in IFNγ production and type 1 cytokine responses. Immunity 4, 471–481 (1996).
Thierfelder, W. E. et al. Requirement for Stat4 in interleukin-12-mediated responses of natural killer and T cells. Nature 382, 171–174 (1996).
Jankovic, D. et al. In the absence of IL-12, CD4+ T cell responses to intracellular pathogens fail to default to a Th2 pattern and are host protective in an IL-10−/− setting. Immunity 16, 429–439 (2002).
Mullen, A. C. et al. Role of T-bet in commitment of TH1 cells before IL-12-dependent selection. Science 292, 1907–1910 (2001).
Trembleau, S. et al. Pancreas-infiltrating Th1 cells and diabetes develop in IL-12-deficient nonobese diabetic mice. J. Immunol. 163, 2960–2968 (1999).
de Wit, M. C., Horzinek, M. C., Haagmans, B. L. & Schijns, V. E. Host-dependent type 1 cytokine responses driven by inactivated viruses may fail to default in the absence of IL-12 or IFN-α/β. J. Gen. Virol. 85, 795–803 (2004).
Oxenius, A., Karrer, U., Zinkernagel, R. M. & Hengartner, H. IL-12 is not required for induction of type 1 cytokine responses in viral infections. J. Immunol. 162, 965–973 (1999).
Schijns, V. E. et al. Mice lacking IL-12 develop polarized Th1 cells during viral infection. J. Immunol. 160, 3958–3964 (1998). References 9–14, together with reference 5, show that there are IL-12-independent pathways for the induction of T H 1-cell responses
Shimoda, K. et al. Lack of IL-4-induced Th2 response and IgE class switching in mice with disrupted Stat6 gene. Nature 380, 630–633 (1996).
Takeda, K. et al. Essential role of Stat6 in IL-4 signalling. Nature 380, 627–630 (1996).
Finkelman, F. D. et al. Stat6 regulation of in vivo IL-4 responses. J. Immunol. 164, 2303–2310 (2000).
Jankovic, D. et al. Single cell analysis reveals that IL-4 receptor/Stat6 signaling is not required for the in vivo or in vitro development of CD4+ lymphocytes with a Th2 cytokine profile. J. Immunol. 164, 3047–3055 (2000).
Voehringer, D., Reese, T. A., Huang, X., Shinkai, K. & Locksley, R. M. Type 2 immunity is controlled by IL-4/IL-13 expression in hematopoietic non-eosinophil cells of the innate immune system. J. Exp. Med. 203, 1435–1446 (2006).
King, S. B., Knorn, A. M., Ohnmacht, C. & Voehringer, D. Accumulation of effector CD4 T cells during type 2 immune responses is negatively regulated by Stat6. J. Immunol. 180, 754–763 (2008). References 17–20 show that IL-4-independent signals exist for the induction of T H 2-cell responses.
Sporri, R. & Reis e Sousa, C. Inflammatory mediators are insufficient for full dendritic cell activation and promote expansion of CD4+ T cell populations lacking helper function. Nature Immunol. 6, 163–170 (2005).
Bray, S. J. Notch signalling: a simple pathway becomes complex. Nature Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 7, 678–689 (2006).
Artavanis-Tsakonas, S., Rand, M. D. & Lake, R. J. Notch signaling: cell fate control and signal integration in development. Science 284, 770–776 (1999).
Adler, S. H. et al. Notch signaling augments T cell responsiveness by enhancing CD25 expression. J. Immunol. 171, 2896–2903 (2003).
Amsen, D. et al. Instruction of distinct CD4 T helper cell fates by different Notch ligands on antigen-presenting cells. Cell 117, 515–526 (2004). This article shows that different Notch ligands elicit different outcomes in T H -cell differentiation and demonstrates that Notch directly controls the transcription of Il4.
Kato, H. et al. Functional conservation of mouse Notch receptor family members. FEBS Lett. 395, 221–224 (1996).
Ong, C. T. et al. Target selectivity of vertebrate Notch proteins. Collaboration between discrete domains and CSL-binding site architecture determines activation probability. J. Biol. Chem. 281, 5106–5119 (2006).
Shimizu, K. et al. Binding of Delta1, Jagged1, and Jagged2 to Notch2 rapidly induces cleavage, nuclear translocation, and hyperphosphorylation of Notch2. Mol. Cell. Biol. 20, 6913–6922 (2000).
Huppert, S. S., Jacobsen, T. L. & Muskavitch, M. A. Feedback regulation is central to Delta–Notch signalling required for Drosophila wing vein morphogenesis. Development 124, 3283–3291 (1997).
Jaleco, A. C. et al. Differential effects of Notch ligands Delta-1 and Jagged-1 in human lymphoid differentiation. J. Exp. Med. 194, 991–1002 (2001).
Cheng, P., Nefedova, Y., Corzo, C. A. & Gabrilovich, D. I. Regulation of dendritic-cell differentiation by bone marrow stroma via different Notch ligands. Blood 109, 507–515 (2007).
D'Souza, B., Miyamoto, A. & Weinmaster, G. The many facets of Notch ligands. Oncogene 27, 5148–5167 (2008).
Napolitani, G., Rinaldi, A., Bertoni, F., Sallusto, F. & Lanzavecchia, A. Selected Toll-like receptor agonist combinations synergistically trigger a T helper type 1-polarizing program in dendritic cells. Nature Immunol. 6, 769–776 (2005).
Skokos, D. & Nussenzweig, M. C. CD8− DCs induce IL-12-independent Th1 differentiation through Delta 4 Notch-like ligand in response to bacterial LPS. J. Exp. Med. 204, 1525–1531 (2007). This article shows that the T H 1-cell inducing role of DLLs is most prominent in IL-12-independent responses.
Rudd, B. D. et al. MyD88-mediated instructive signals in dendritic cells regulate pulmonary immune responses during respiratory virus infection. J. Immunol. 178, 5820–5827 (2007).
Sun, J., Krawczyk, C. J. & Pearce, E. J. Suppression of Th2 cell development by Notch ligands Delta1 and Delta4. J. Immunol. 180, 1655–1661 (2008). This article shows that DLLs may inhibit T H 2-cell responses rather than actively promote T H 1-cell responses.
Debarry, J. et al. Acinetobacter lwoffii and Lactococcus lactis strains isolated from farm cowsheds possess strong allergy-protective properties. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 119, 1514–1521 (2007).
Maekawa, Y. et al. Delta1–Notch3 interactions bias the functional differentiation of activated CD4+ T cells. Immunity 19, 549–559 (2003). This study is the first demonstration of a link between Notch and T H 1-cell differentiation.
Elyaman, W. et al. JAGGED1 and Delta1 differentially regulate the outcome of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J. Immunol. 179, 5990–5998 (2007).
Okamoto, M. et al. Essential role of Notch signaling in effector memory CD8+ T cell-mediated airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation. J. Exp. Med. 205, 1087–1097 (2008).
Minter, L. M. et al. Inhibitors of γ-secretase block in vivo and in vitro T helper type 1 polarization by preventing Notch upregulation of Tbx21. Nature Immunol. 6, 680–688 (2005).
Amsen, D. et al. Direct regulation of Gata3 expression determines the T helper differentiation potential of Notch. Immunity 27, 89–99 (2007).
Ong, C. T., Sedy, J. R., Murphy, K. M. & Kopan, R. Notch and presenilin regulate cellular expansion and cytokine secretion but cannot instruct Th1/Th2 fate acquisition. PLoS ONE 3, e2823 (2008).
Wolfe, M. S. & Kopan, R. Intramembrane proteolysis: theme and variations. Science 305, 1119–1123 (2004).
Tu, L. et al. Notch signaling is an important regulator of type 2 immunity. J. Exp. Med. 202, 1037–1042 (2005).
Fang, T. C. et al. Notch directly regulates Gata3 expression during T helper 2 cell differentiation. Immunity 27, 100–110 (2007). Together with reference 42, this report shows direct regulation of GATA3 transcription by Notch.
Osipo, C., Golde, T. E., Osborne, B. A. & Miele, L. A. Off the beaten pathway: the complex cross talk between Notch and NF-κB. Lab. Invest. 88, 11–17 (2008).
Oswald, F., Liptay, S., Adler, G. & Schmid, R. M. NF-κB2 is a putative target gene of activated Notch-1 via RBP-Jκ. Mol. Cell. Biol. 18, 2077–2088 (1998).
Cheng, P. et al. Notch-1 regulates NF-κB activity in hemopoietic progenitor cells. J. Immunol. 167, 4458–4467 (2001).
Song, L. L. et al. Notch-1 associates with IKKα and regulates IKK activity in cervical cancer cells. Oncogene 27, 5833–5844 (2008).
Vilimas, T. et al. Targeting the NF-κB signaling pathway in Notch1-induced T-cell leukemia. Nature Med. 13, 70–77 (2007).
Vacca, A. et al. Notch3 and pre-TCR interaction unveils distinct NF-κB pathways in T-cell development and leukemia. EMBO J. 25, 1000–1008 (2006).
Shin, H. M. et al. Notch1 augments NF-κB activity by facilitating its nuclear retention. EMBO J. 25, 129–138 (2006).
Boothby, M. Specificity of sn50 for NF-κB? Nature Immunol. 2, 471–472 (2001).
Das, J. et al. A critical role for NF-κB in GATA3 expression and TH2 differentiation in allergic airway inflammation. Nature Immunol. 2, 45–50 (2001).
Tanigaki, K. et al. Regulation of αβ/γδ T cell lineage commitment and peripheral T cell responses by Notch/RBP-J signaling. Immunity 20, 611–622 (2004). Together with references 25, 42 and 45, this article provides strong genetic evidence that the Notch signalling pathway is required for T H 2-cell responses.
Barolo, S. et al. A Notch-independent activity of suppressor of hairless is required for normal mechanoreceptor physiology. Cell 103, 957–969 (2000).
McElhinny, A. S., Li, J. L. & Wu, L. Mastermind-like transcriptional co-activators: emerging roles in regulating cross talk among multiple signaling pathways. Oncogene 27, 5138–5147 (2008).
Krawczyk, C. M., Sun, J. & Pearce, E. J. Th2 differentiation is unaffected by Jagged2 expression on dendritic cells. J. Immunol. 180, 7931–7937 (2008).
Krishnamoorthy, N. et al. Activation of c-Kit in dendritic cells regulates T helper cell differentiation and allergic asthma. Nature Med. 14, 565–573 (2008).
Liotta, F. et al. Human immature myeloid dendritic cells trigger a TH2-polarizing program via Jagged-1/Notch interaction. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 121, 1000–1005 (2008).
Kaisho, T. et al. Endotoxin can induce MyD88-deficient dendritic cells to support Th2 cell differentiation. Int. Immunol. 14, 695–700 (2002).
Schnare, M. et al. Toll-like receptors control activation of adaptive immune responses. Nature Immunol. 2, 947–950 (2001).
Worsley, A. G. et al. Dendritic cell expression of the Notch ligand Jagged2 is not essential for Th2 response induction in vivo. Eur. J. Immunol. 38, 1043–1049 (2008).
Cui, X. Y. et al. NB-3/Notch1 pathway via Deltex1 promotes neural progenitor cell differentiation into oligodendrocytes. J. Biol. Chem. 279, 25858–25865 (2004).
Hu, Q. D. et al. F3/contactin acts as a functional ligand for Notch during oligodendrocyte maturation. Cell 115, 163–175 (2003).
Tanaka, S. et al. The interleukin-4 enhancer CNS-2 is regulated by Notch signals and controls initial expression in NKT cells and memory-type CD4 T cells. Immunity 24, 689–701 (2006).
Ouyang, W. et al. Stat6-independent GATA-3 autoactivation directs IL-4-independent Th2 development and commitment. Immunity 12, 27–37 (2000).
Asnagli, H., Afkarian, M. & Murphy, K. M. Cutting Edge: identification of an alternative GATA-3 promoter directing tissue-specific gene expression in mouse and human. J. Immunol. 168, 4268–4271 (2002).
Solymar, D. C., Agarwal, S., Bassing, C. H., Alt, F. W. & Rao, A. A 3′ enhancer in the IL-4 gene regulates cytokine production by Th2 cells and mast cells. Immunity 17, 41–50 (2002).
Anastasi, E. et al. Expression of activated Notch3 in transgenic mice enhances generation of T regulatory cells and protects against experimental autoimmune diabetes. J. Immunol. 171, 4504–4511 (2003).
Jurynczyk, M., Jurewicz, A., Raine, C. S. & Selmaj, K. Notch3 inhibition in myelin-reactive T cells down-regulates protein kinase C θ and attenuates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J. Immunol. 180, 2634–2640 (2008).
Veldhoen, M. et al. Transforming growth factor-β 'reprograms' the differentiation of T helper 2 cells and promotes an interleukin 9-producing subset. Nature Immunol. 9, 1341–1346 (2008).
Dardalhon, V. et al. IL-4 inhibits TGF-β-induced Foxp3+ T cells and, together with TGF-β, generates IL-9+ IL-10+ Foxp3− effector T cells. Nature Immunol. 9, 1347–1355 (2008).
King, C., Tangye, S. G. & Mackay, C. R. T follicular helper (TFH) cells in normal and dysregulated immune responses. Annu. Rev. Immunol. 26, 741–766 (2008).
Vigouroux, S. et al. Induction of antigen-specific regulatory T cells following overexpression of a Notch ligand by human B lymphocytes. J. Virol. 77, 10872–10880 (2003).
Yvon, E. S. et al. Overexpression of the Notch ligand, Jagged-1, induces alloantigen-specific human regulatory T cells. Blood 102, 3815–3821 (2003).
Hoyne, G. F. et al. Serrate1-induced Notch signalling regulates the decision between immunity and tolerance made by peripheral CD4+ T cells. Int. Immunol. 12, 177–185 (2000).
Kared, H. et al. Jagged2-expressing hematopoietic progenitors promote regulatory T cell expansion in the periphery through Notch signaling. Immunity 25, 823–834 (2006).
Rutz, S. et al. Notch regulates IL-10 production by T helper 1 cells. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105, 3497–3502 (2008).
Jankovic, D. et al. Conventional T-bet+Foxp3− Th1 cells are the major source of host-protective regulatory IL-10 during intracellular protozoan infection. J. Exp. Med. 204, 273–283 (2007).
Anderson, C. F., Oukka, M., Kuchroo, V. J. & Sacks, D. CD4+CD25−Foxp3− Th1 cells are the source of IL-10-mediated immune suppression in chronic cutaneous leishmaniasis. J. Exp. Med. 204, 285–297 (2007).
Eagar, T. N. et al. Notch 1 signaling regulates peripheral T cell activation. Immunity 20, 407–415 (2004).
Ostroukhova, M. et al. Treg-mediated immunosuppression involves activation of the Notch–HES1 axis by membrane-bound TGF-β. J. Clin. Invest. 116, 996–1004 (2006).
Palaga, T., Miele, L., Golde, T. E. & Osborne, B. A. TCR-mediated Notch signaling regulates proliferation and IFN-γ production in peripheral T cells. J. Immunol. 171, 3019–3024 (2003).
Kluppel, M. & Wrana, J. L. Turning it up a Notch: cross-talk between TGFβ and Notch signaling. Bioessays 27, 115–118 (2005).
Samon, J. B. et al. Notch1 and TGFβ1 cooperatively regulate Foxp3 expression and the maintenance of peripheral regulatory T cells. Blood 112, 1813–1821 (2008).
Tournoy, J. et al. Partial loss of presenilins causes seborrheic keratosis and autoimmune disease in mice. Hum. Mol. Genet. 13, 1321–1331 (2004).
Schaller, M. A. et al. Notch ligand Delta-like 4 regulates disease pathogenesis during respiratory viral infections by modulating Th2 cytokines. J. Exp. Med. 204, 2925–2934 (2007).
Acknowledgements
The authors thank F. Manzo for assistance with the preparation of the manuscript. R.A.F. is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. D.A. is supported by an AMC fellowship and a fellowship from the Landsteiner Foundation for Blood Research.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Related links
Glossary
- TH17 cell
-
A type of CD4+ T helper (TH) cell that produces interleukin-17 (IL-17) and that is thought to be important in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The generation of TH17 cells involves IL-6 and transforming growth factor-β, as well as the transcription factors RORγt (retinoic-acid-receptor-related orphan receptor-γt) and STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3).
- γ-secretase complex
-
A multi-subunit enzyme complex, consisting of presenilin (the catalytic subunit), nicastrin, anterior pharynx defective 1 homologue and presenilin enhancer 2 homologue, that mediates cleavage of transmembrane proteins through a process known as regulated intramembrane proteolysis. In addition to Notch, many other substrates of the γ-secretase complex have been identified, including amyloid precursor protein, CD44, N-cadherin, E-cadherin and v-erb-a erythroblastic leukaemia viral oncogene homologue 4.
- Regulatory T (TReg) cell
-
A specialized type of CD4+ T cell that can suppress the effector responses of other immune cells. TReg cells are crucial for the maintenance of peripheral self tolerance, and a subset of these cells is characterized by the expression of CD25 and the transcription factor forkhead box P3.
- Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
-
An experimental model for the human disease multiple sclerosis. Autoimmune disease is induced in experimental animals through immunization with peptides that are derived from myelin. The animals develop a paralytic disease owing to inflammation and demyelination in the brain and spinal cord.
- RNA interference
-
A method of post-transcriptional control of gene expression, in which the introduction of small, sequence-specific, double-stranded RNAs into cells leads to the degradation of mRNAs that have a complementary sequence.
- Chromatin immunoprecipitation
-
An experimental technique that analyses direct binding of a transcription factor to chromatin by fixation with formaldehyde followed by immunoprecipitation with a transcription-factor-specific antibody. Gene-specific enrichment is then assessed by polymerase chain reaction analysis of the immunoprecipitated DNA.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Amsen, D., Antov, A. & Flavell, R. The different faces of Notch in T-helper-cell differentiation. Nat Rev Immunol 9, 116–124 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri2488
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nri2488