{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T07:22:47Z","timestamp":1778656967222,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,11]],"date-time":"2021-03-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1615420800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Cell Dev. Biol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>CD4<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> T cells are essential for regulating effective immune response to pathogens and immune balance. Recent studies have demonstrated the unique features of T cells in neonate mice, such as more sensitive to antigen response and preference toward T helper 2 (Th2) response and regulatory T cells (Tregs) differentiation. However, the biological characteristics of neonatal age-derived CD4<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> T cells following homeostasis remain unclear. Here we utilized a lineage tracing model of <jats:italic>TCR<\/jats:italic>\u03b4<jats:italic><jats:sup><jats:italic>CreER<\/jats:italic><\/jats:sup>R26<jats:sup><jats:italic>ZsGreen<\/jats:italic><\/jats:sup><\/jats:italic> to mark neonatal- and adult-derived CD4<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> T cells followed by a combination analysis of activation, proliferation, survival, and differentiation. Our results showed that neonatal CD4<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> T cells had higher capacity of activation, proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation toward Th2 and T helper 17 (Th17) lineages, accompanied by a reduced potential for T helper 1 (Th1), T helper 9 (Th9), and Treg lineages. In contrast, tracked neonatal CD4<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> T cells exhibited similar characters of above-mentioned of tracked adult cells in adult mice. Therefore, our data support a natural requirement for CD4<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> T cells to acquire fully-equipped functional potentials of adult cells.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fcell.2021.659744","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,11]],"date-time":"2021-03-11T07:21:40Z","timestamp":1615447300000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["A Genetic Model Reveals Biological Features of Neonatal CD4 Helper Cells Undergone Homeostasis in Mice"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Lei","family":"Lei","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xingzhe","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiaofeng","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yanhong","family":"Su","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Haiyan","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hang","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jinli","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yujing","family":"Zou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xin","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anjun","family":"Jiao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cangang","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Huiqiang","family":"Zheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jiahui","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dan","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lin","family":"Shi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiaobo","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chenming","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Baojun","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"323","DOI":"10.1038\/bmt.2010.260","article-title":"The great debate: haploidentical or cord blood transplant.","volume":"46","author":"Ballen","year":"2011","journal-title":"Bone Marrow Transplant."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1155\/2015\/521957","article-title":"Functional and phenotypic plasticity of CD4(+) T cell subsets.","volume":"2015","author":"Caza","year":"2015","journal-title":"Biomed Res. 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