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Unexpectedly late expression of intracellular CD3ϵ and TCR γδ proteins during adult thymus development

Wilson, Anne ; Capone, Myriam ; MacDonald, H. Robson

In: International Immunology, 1999, vol. 11, no. 10, p. 1641-1650

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    Titre
    • Unexpectedly late expression of intracellular CD3ϵ and TCR γδ proteins during adult thymus development
    Auteur
    • Wilson, Anne. Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, University of Lausanne,Ch. Des Boveresses 155, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
    • Capone, Myriam. Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, University of Lausanne,Ch. Des Boveresses 155, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
    • MacDonald, H. Robson. Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, University of Lausanne,Ch. Des Boveresses 155, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Langue
    • Anglais
    Publié dans
    • International Immunology, 1999, vol. 11, no. 10, p. 1641-1650. Oxford University Press
    Autre version électronique
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:304209
    Summary
    During adult thymus development immature CD4-CD8- [double-negative (DN)] precursor cells pass through four phenotypically distinct stages defined by expression of CD44 and CD25: CD44hiCD25- (DN1), CD44hiCD25+ (DN2), CD44loCD25+ (DN3) and CD44loCD25- (DN4). Although it is well established that the TCR β, γ and δ genes are rearranged and expressed in association with the CD3 components in DN thymocytes, the precise timing of expression of the TCR and CD3 proteins has not been determined. In this report we have utilized a sensitive intracellular (ic) staining technique to analyze the expression of ic CD3ϵ, TCR β and TCR γδ proteins in immature DN subsets. As expected from previous studies of TCR β rearrangement and mRNA expression, icTCR β+ cells were first detected in the DN3 subset and their proportion increased thereafter. Surprisingly, however, both icCD3ϵ+ and icTCR γδ+ cells were detected at later stages of development than was predicted by molecular studies. In particular icCD3ϵ protein expression coincided with the transition from the DN2 to DN3 stage of development, whereas icTCR γδ protein expression was only detected in a minor subset of DN4 cells. The implications of these findings for αβ lineage divergence will be discussed