Interleukin 7 preferentially supports the growth of gamma delta T cell receptor-bearing T cells from fetal thymocytes in vitro.
Murine fetal thymus cells were cultured with various interleukins (IL-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7) in the absence or presence of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), and it was found that only IL-4 and IL-7 induced a prominent proliferative response in the presence of PMA. A large proportion of cells grown in the cultures of fetal thymus cells (days 15 and 17 of gestation) stimulated with PMA plus IL-4 or with PMA plus IL-2 remained CD4-CD8-. In marked contrast, nearly 70% of the cells generated in the cultures of the same fetal thymocytes stimulated with PMA plus IL-7 expressed CD8 on their surface. Approximately 30% of these cells expressed TCR gamma, delta, whereas TCR alpha beta+ cells were virtually undetectable. The cells grown in cultures stimulated with PMA plus IL-7 comprised three populations: CD4-Lyt-2-3-, CD4-Lyt-2 + Lyt-3- and CD4-Lyt-2 + Lyt-3+, and that TCR gamma delta+ T cells were found in all three populations. It was also found that the addition of IL-7 in the culture of adult CD4-CD8- thymocytes on the monolayer of a thymic stromal cell line, which selectively promotes the generation of alpha beta T cells, resulted in the generation of gamma delta T cells. These results strongly suggest that IL-7 plays an important role in the development of gamma delta T cells.
Watanabe
Y
Y
Chest Disease Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan.
Sudo
T
T
Minato
N
N
Ohnishi
A
A
Katsura
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D005333:Fetus / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000494:pharmacology; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology
D007376:Interleukin-2; D015851:Interleukin-7; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D015847:Interleukin-4; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate