Longitudinal T cell-derived IFN-γ/IL-17 balances do not correlate with the disease course in two mouse models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

The concept of T(H)17 sternness is attracting increasing attention in the field of tumor immunology. The expression of stem cell-like properties and the promotion of long-term immunity by T(H)17 cells are also of outmost relevance for autoimmunity. Studying two mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), we show that CNS antigen-specific T(H)17 cells occur in high frequencies in the individual mice. However, there was no preferential shift towards a T(H)17 response over time. These data suggest that there is no evidence for a differential apoptosis rate in T(H)1 versus T(H)17 cells in EAE. Apparently the selective enrichment of T(H)17 cells that can occur under certain conditions such as cancer does not result from an intrinsic property of T(H)17 cells, but rather from selective pressure present in the microenvironment (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.