Glycosylphosphatidyl inositol-linked membrane protein expression by intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes.
Murine intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (ilEL) represent a heterogeneous population of cells which contains both TCR alpha beta+ and TCR gamma delta+ cells. In contrast to the TCR alpha beta+ cell population in peripheral lymphoid organs, the TCR alpha beta+ ilEL contain high numbers of Thy-1- cells. This negativity of ilEL for Thy-1, a glycosylphosphatidyl inositol (GPI)-linked membrane protein, is not the result of conformational changes of the Thy-1 molecule. The absence of Thy-1 on TCR gamma delta+ and a subset of TCR alpha beta+ ilEL is furthermore not caused by a general defect in the processing of GPI-linked proteins, since Thy-1- ilEL mainly express another GPI-linked protein, Qa-2. However, TCR alpha beta+ and TCR gamma delta+ ilEL are also virtually negative for two other members of this family of activation-associated GPI-linked proteins, Ly-6A and Ly-6C. This unusual pattern of GPI-linked protein expression on TCR+ ilEL may be related to differences in cellular activation and signal transduction pathways between TCR+ ilEL and regular peripheral T cells.
Section of Immunology, TNO Institute of Aging and Vascular Research, Leiden, The Netherlands.
B
B
de Geus
H
H
HogenEsch
R T
RT
Kubo
J
J
Rozing
D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly / Q000378:metabolism; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000378:metabolism; D017261:Glycosylphosphatidylinositols / Q000378:metabolism*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000378:metabolism; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000378:metabolism*; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens
D000950:Antigens, Ly; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D017261:Glycosylphosphatidylinositols; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens