Expression of a fetal gamma delta T-cell receptor in adult mice triggers a non-MHC-linked form of selective depletion.
Day 14 fetal thymocytes and adult dendritic epidermal T cells (dEC) of all mouse strains express a characteristic non-polymorphic gamma delta T-cell receptor which is rarely found in the adult thymus or lymph nodes. We have made transgenic mice expressing this particular set of receptors on T cells in C3H and C57BL/6 mice. In adult mice of the latter strain, a dramatic depletion of transgene expressing T cells occurs and this effect is primarily mediated by thymic radiosensitive cells. The depletion is genetically dominant but not MHC-linked with major factor(s) mapping to chromosome 18. Taken together, our results show that strain-specific developmental changes in the thymic environment may play a role in shaping the gamma delta TCR repertoire.
Iwashima
M
M
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA.
Green
A
A
Bonyhadi
M
M
Davis
M M
MM
Allison
J P
JP
Chien
Y H
YH
D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D005333:Fetus / Q000276:immunology*; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000528:radiation effects
D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta