Visualization of the earliest steps of γδ T cell development in the adult thymus

I Prinz, A Sansoni, A Kissenpfennig, L Ardouin… - Nature …, 2006 - nature.com
I Prinz, A Sansoni, A Kissenpfennig, L Ardouin, M Malissen, B Malissen
Nature immunology, 2006nature.com
The checkpoint in γδ cell development that controls successful T cell receptor (TCR) gene
rearrangements remains poorly characterized. Using mice expressing a reporter
gene'knocked into'the Tcrd constant region gene, we have characterized many of the events
that mark the life of early γδ cells in the adult thymus. We identify the developmental stage
during which the Tcrd locus' opens' in early T cell progenitors and show that a single
checkpoint controls γδ cell development during the penultimate CD4− CD8− stage. Passage …
Abstract
The checkpoint in γδ cell development that controls successful T cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements remains poorly characterized. Using mice expressing a reporter gene 'knocked into' the Tcrd constant region gene, we have characterized many of the events that mark the life of early γδ cells in the adult thymus. We identify the developmental stage during which the Tcrd locus 'opens' in early T cell progenitors and show that a single checkpoint controls γδ cell development during the penultimate CD4CD8 stage. Passage through this checkpoint required the assembly of γδ TCR heterodimers on the cell surface and signaling via the Lat adaptor protein. In addition, we show that γδ selection triggered a phase of sustained proliferation similar to that induced by the pre-TCR.
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