title: Impaired survival of T cell receptor V gamma 3+ cells in interleukin-4 transgenic mice.
abstract: The mouse epidermis contains a network of Thy-1+ dendritic T cells. Most of these cells express a homogeneous T cell receptor (TCR) configuration (V gamma 3/V delta 1) with only negligible junctional diversity. Because fetal thymocytes are precursors of these dendritic epidermal T cells (DETC) and the addition of interleukin (IL)-4 to fetal thymic organ cultures causes an early arrest in thymopoiesis, we examined DETC development in transgenic (tg) mice expressing IL-4 under the control of major histocompatibility complex class I regulatory sequences. Immunohistologic examination of epidermal sheets and polymerase chain reaction analysis of total skin RNA from IL-4 tg mice failed to reveal TCR V gamma 3+ DETC and V gamma 3 mRNA, respectively. In contrast, the sizes of TCR gamma delta subpopulations in lymphoid organs were unchanged in these mice. Although the numbers and staining intensities of TCR V gamma 3+ thymocytes in early fetal (days 14-17) IL-4 tg mice were similar to those of littermate controls, we observed a preferential death of these cells in thymic organ cultures from IL-4 tg mice. We observed further that epidermal sheets prepared from 9-day-old mice whose mothers had been treated with an IL-4-neutralizing antibody from day 12 to day 18 of pregnancy contained DETC numbers similar to those of controls. However, upon termination of the anti-IL-4 treatment, DETC ceased to expand. We conclude that IL-4 impairs the survival of TCR V gamma 3+ cells.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology and Immunobiology, University of Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Erb
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hanke
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schimpl
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hünig
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stingl
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elbe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004817:Epidermis / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000032:analysis*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000473:pathology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015847:Interleukin-4