T cell receptor-bearing cells among rat intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes are mainly alpha/beta+ and are thymus dependent.
Rearrangement of both the beta and gamma chain T cell receptor (TcR) genes was detected in intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) from normal euthymic rats. Flow cytometric analyses showed that about 73% of the IEL were CD3+ (1F4) and that 67% were TcR alpha/beta+ (R73). About 5% of the IEL were found to be CD3+, TcR alpha/beta- in double-labeling experiments suggesting that a small fraction of IEL in the rat express the alternative TcR gamma/delta. More than 70% of the IEL were granular implying that many CD3+ IEL are granular. In IEL from athymic nude rats no rearrangement of either the TcR beta or gamma chain genes or surface expression of CD3 or TcR alpha/beta was detected despite the fact that about 95% of the cells were granular and morphologically similar to those in normal rats. Taken together our data suggest that the majority of IEL in the rat express the conventional TcR alpha/beta and that TcR-bearing cells in the gut epithelium are thymus dependent.
Vaage
J T
JT
Anatomical Institute, University of Oslo, Norway.
Dissen
E
E
Ager
A
A
Roberts
I
I
Fossum
S
S
Rolstad
B
B
D000818:Animals; D015332:Gene Rearrangement, alpha-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor / Q000502:physiology; D015333:Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor / Q000502:physiology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D011923:Rats, Nude; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000032:analysis*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000502:physiology*
D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta