Thymic determinants of γδ T cell differentiation

M Muņoz-Ruiz, N Sumaria, DJ Pennington… - Trends in …, 2017 - cell.com
M Muņoz-Ruiz, N Sumaria, DJ Pennington, B Silva-Santos
Trends in immunology, 2017cell.com
γd T cells have emerged as major sources of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-17
(IL-17) and interferon-γ (IFNγ) in multiple models of infection, cancer and autoimmune
disease. However, unlike their αβ T cell counterparts that require peripheral activation for
effector cell differentiation, γδ T cells instead can be 'developmentally programmed'in the
thymus to generate discrete γδ T cell effector subsets with distinctive molecular signatures.
Nonetheless, recent studies have presented conflicting viewpoints on the signals involved in …
γd T cells have emerged as major sources of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-17 (IL-17) and interferon-γ (IFNγ) in multiple models of infection, cancer and autoimmune disease. However, unlike their αβ T cell counterparts that require peripheral activation for effector cell differentiation, γδ T cells instead can be ‘developmentally programmed' in the thymus to generate discrete γδ T cell effector subsets with distinctive molecular signatures. Nonetheless, recent studies have presented conflicting viewpoints on the signals involved in thymic γδ T cell development and differentiation, namely on the role of both T cell receptor (TCR)-dependent and TCR-independent factors. Here we review the current data and the ongoing controversies.
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