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TH1-TH2: a Procrustean paradigm

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Although immunologists have found the dichotomous helper T cell subset model a useful construct, it is beginning to show its age. Some suggest that proponents of the TH1-TH2 dichotomy are overzealous in making the data conform to the scheme, like Procrustes who stretched or truncated his guests so that they would fit his guest bed.

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Figure 1: A widely accepted view of CD4+ T cell differentiation (background schematic) suggests that TH1 (top) and TH2 (bottom) cells secrete unique sets of cytokines that uniformly promote the functions associated with the gene products of their category of origin or antagonize the functions associated with the gene products of the other category.

K. R.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Molecular Stress Response, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, 02118, MA, USA

    Dennis O Gor

  2. Departments of Pathology and of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 21205, Maryland, USA

    Noel R Rose

  3. Institute of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, 44106, Ohio, USA

    Neil S Greenspan

Authors
  1. Dennis O Gor
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  2. Noel R Rose
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  3. Neil S Greenspan
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Correspondence to Neil S Greenspan.

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Gor, D., Rose, N. & Greenspan, N. TH1-TH2: a Procrustean paradigm. Nat Immunol 4, 503–505 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni0603-503

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