CD2 Shown to Facilitate CD4⁺ Cell Differentiation during Visceral Leishmaniasis, a Receptor Based Study

This study addressed the role of CD2 on CD4⁺ T helper cells in relation to the TCRVα1 and CD70 in two groups of BALB/c mice viz control and infected (1×10⁷ L. donovani promastigotes). The results showed with the downregulation of CD2 expression there is a pronounced decrease of TCRVα1 and CD70 on CD4⁺ cells in mice. An insight into the behavior of the cytokines viz IL-2, IFN-γ and TNF-α also showed disturbance in the concurrent efficiency of these cells in responding to the Leishmania donovoni infection. Hence it can be interpreted that probably CD2 plays an important role during maturation steps of CD4⁺ T cell differentiation during VL infection.