Requirement of high-affinity IL-2-IL-2R interaction for T cell anergy induction.

Incomplete T cell antigen receptor-mediated signaling induces an unresponsive state known as anergy. Previously, we had shown that anergy can be induced in antigen-primed but not naive T cells. In this report, we found that in vitro primed T cells from IL-2R alpha-deficient mice were resistant to anergy induction in contrast to comparably treated wild-type T cells. This resistance persisted even after proliferation of IL-2R alpha chain-deficient CD4 T cells with high-dose IL-2-IL-2R beta gamma chains interaction. Thus, antigen activation, and/or progression through cell cycle are not sufficient to induce anergy susceptibility in T cells. The high-affinity IL-2-IL-2R interaction appears to play a critical role in this process.