Mouse fetal thymus lobes cultured in IL-2 generate CD3+, TCR-gamma delta-expressing CD4-/CD8+ and CD4-/CD8- cells.
Whole, undisrupted, 14-day fetal mouse thymus lobes were liquid-cultured in medium supplemented with 10 U/ml rIL-2. The cells that emerged from these fetal thymus lobes grew in an IL-2-dependent manner and showed non-MHC-restricted cytolytic activity. By two-color flow microfluorimetric analysis they could be subdivided into CD4-/CD8+ and CD4-/CD8- subpopulations, both of which contained CD3+ cells. Northern analysis of total cellular RNA revealed full-length transcripts of gamma- and delta-message, predominantly the truncated (1.0 kb) beta- and no detectable alpha-message. Taken together, these results show that by culturing 14-day fetal thymus lobes in IL-2, in the absence of deliberate mitogen stimulation, CD3+, TcR-gamma delta-expressing CD4-/CD8+ and CD4-/CD8- T cells are obtained. Such cells may represent the precursors of similar cells found outside the thymus in adult mice.
Ceredig
R
R
John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra City.
Medveczky
J
J
Skulimowski
A
A
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis; D005333:Fetus; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008806:Mice, Inbred AKR; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D010641:Phenotype; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000032:analysis; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D007376:Interleukin-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell