Maturation of fetal thymocytes in organ culture: secretion of interleukin 2, interferon and colony stimulating factors.
This paper describes the differentiation of fetal thymocytes in organ cultures of embryonic thymuses. After one week in organ culture, fetal thymocytes from 14 d old mouse embryos could secrete IL-2, CSF and IFN upon stimulation with Con A. No constitutive secretion of lymphokines was observed. The only type of CSF produced was granulocyte-macrophage (GM) CSF. In contrast to thymocytes from adult mice, organ-cultured embryonic thymocytes did not secrete IFN-gamma, but IFN alpha/beta, in response to Con A. This is the first indication that secretion of IFN alpha/beta, but not IFN-gamma, can be induced in cells of the T cell lineage by a T cell specific mitogen. These results show that the embryonic thymus provides a sufficient environment for the development of some of the secretory functions of T cells and suggest that differentiating T cells acquire the ability to secrete IFN alpha/beta before IFN-gamma.
Kisielow
P
P
Krammer
P H
PH
Hültner
L
L
von Boehmer
H
H
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D005865:Gestational Age; D007372:Interferons / Q000378:metabolism*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000276:immunology
D007376:Interleukin-2; D003208:Concanavalin A; D007372:Interferons