Expression data from CD4+IL-4gfp+ Th2 cells isolated from BALB/c IL-4gfp 4get mice infected with the filarial nematode Litomosoides sigmodontis

Litomosoides sigmodontis is parasitic filarial nematode that can infect mice, and is used as a murine model for human filariasis. Type 2 immune responses are protective, but infection is typically chronic due to a combination of immune suppression by the parasite and immune regulation by the host dampening protective Type 2 immunity.We have shown that the CD4+ Th2 cells develop an intrinsically hyporesponsive or dysfunctional phenotype between day 20 and 60 of infection, denoted by an impaired ability to proliferate and produce Th2 cytokines. The hyporesponsive phenotype is PD-1/PD-L2 dependent, and impairs parasite killing (van der Werf et al. 2013. PloS Path. e1003215). This study aimed to investigate the mRNA expression of the intrinsically-hyporesponsive Th2 cells to determine the mechanisms by which they become dysfunctional, and to test whether Th2 cell intrinsic hyporesponsiveness has similarities with other forms of T cell-intrinsic regulation such as exhaustion, tolerance or anergy.