Establishment and characterization of mouse thymic epithelial cell lines.
Primary stromal cell cultures from fetal day-16 thymuses of Swiss mice were developed using a combination of D-valine-containing DMEM and Ham's F-12 medium supplemented with epidermal growth factor, insulin and cortisone. Using cloning cylinders and subsequent limiting dilution techniques, we obtained two clones, MTE-1 and MTE-2. The presence of cytokeratin filaments established their epithelial origin. These cells expressed class I and class II MHC antigens after induction by gamma-interferon, and lacked conventional lymphoid cell-surface markers. Their ability to form rosettes with thymocytes should allow us to identify cell-surface antigens involved in thymocyte-epithelial cell interaction. Moreover, these lines will be used to set up in vitro thymocyte maturation assays.
Naquet
P
P
Centre d'Immunologie INSERM-CNRS de Marseille-Luminy, France.
Lepesant
H
H
Luxembourg
A
A
Brekelmans
P
P
Devaux
C
C
Pierres
M
M
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D002450:Cell Communication; D002460:Cell Line; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000276:immunology; D005333:Fetus / Q000166:cytology; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D051379:Mice; D010641:Phenotype; D012397:Rosette Formation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens