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Abstract
Antigen-presenting cells (APC) tailor immune responses to microbial encounters by
stimulating differentiation of CD4 T cells into the Th1 and Th2 lineages. We demonstrate
that APC use the Notch pathway to instruct T cell differentiation. Strikingly, of
the two Notch ligand families, Delta induces Th1, while Jagged induces the alternate
Th2 fate. Expression of these different Notch ligands on APC is induced by Th1- or
Th2-promoting stimuli. Th2 differentiation has been considered a default process as
APC-derived instructive signals are unknown. We demonstrate that Jagged constitutes
an instructive signal for Th2 differentiation, which is independent of IL4/STAT6.
Th2 differentiation induced by APC is abrogated in T cells lacking the Notch effector
RBPJkappa. Notch directs Th2 differentiation by inducing GATA3 and by directly regulating
il4 gene transcription through RBPJkappa sites in a 3' enhancer.