Medullary but not cortical thymic epithelial cells present soluble antigens to helper T cells.
Thymic epithelial cell lines (TECs) were established from newborn C57BL/6 mice. They were classified into two types (medullary and cortical TECs) by using the monoclonal antibody (Th-3) that recognizes the meshwork structure of thymic cortical epithelial cells. Antigen-presenting activity of each TEC was determined by using ovalbumin-specific, I-Ab-restricted helper T cell lines. It was demonstrated that the medullary but not the cortical TECs functioned as antigen-presenting cells. This is the first evidence for the functional difference between the cortical and the medullary TEC.
Mizuochi
T
T
Department of Blood Products, National Institute of Health, Tokyo, Japan.
Kasai
M
M
Kokuho
T
T
Kakiuchi
T
T
Hirokawa
K
K
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009928:Organ Specificity; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000276:immunology*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal