Th2-Related Chemokine Receptors Do Not Always Reflect Th2 Cells Under Physiological Conditions

Disruption of the balance between T-helper (Th)-1 and Th2 cells leads to various immune abnormalities. Chemokine receptors such as CCR3, CCR4, CCR7, and CCR8 and the PGD2 receptor, CRTH2, are associated with Th2. However, the distribution of these receptors on Th2 cells under physiological conditions is only partly reported as “control.” Indeed, the frequencies of these receptors, which indicate Th2 cell populations in those “controls,” vary with each study. This study was aimed at determining whether Th2-related chemokine receptors could be surface surrogate markers for cytoplasmic Th2 cytokine staining, even under physiological conditions.