Technical Articles

The directed differentiation of human naive CD4⁺ T cells toward the Th1 phenotype depends on the initiation of the STAT4–T-bet axis by IL-12, the blockade of the Th2 bypass by anti-IL-4 antibody, and the support of survival and expansion by IL-2, with the three constituting a signaling network mutually constrained in concentration and timing.

Helper T cells are the central regulatory cells of the adaptive immune response, coordinating different types of immune reactions by secreting characteristic cytokines and expressing specific transcription factors.