Inhibition of proliferation and differentiation during early T cell development by anti-transferrin receptor antibody.
Proliferating cells require iron and, therefore, express the transferrin receptor (CD71) that mediates cellular iron uptake. Cycling thymocytes, which have the CD4-8-3-, CD4-8+3-, or CD4+8+3- phenotypes, also express CD71. The importance of CD71-mediated iron uptake for proliferation and maturation of thymocytes was studied using fetal thymus organ cultures at day 14 of gestation and treating them for 7 days with a CD71 monoclonal antibody (mAb). The intracellular iron deficiency caused by this treatment, inhibits both proliferation and maturation of the thymocytes. Cell recovery was reduced by 60%, but cells still expanded tenfold during the culture. Remarkably, the final maturation of alpha beta T cells was completely blocked as no thymocytes with low or high CD3/alpha beta TcR expression developed. Moreover, only few cells reached the CD4+8+3- stage of T cell development. CD4-8-3- thymocytes, however, as well as its CD44-25+ subset developed in normal numbers, suggesting that CD44-25+ CD4-8-3- cells, or their immediate progeny, were most vulnerable to CD71 mAb treatment. The development of gamma delta T cells, which also express CD71, was not affected in these cultures. This suggests that gamma delta T cells are either less iron-dependent or possess alternative iron-uptake mechanisms. Thus, our observations indicate that CD71 treatment, causing decreased intracellular iron levels, severely inhibits the major proliferation phase from the CD44-25+ CD4-8-3- to the CD4+8+3- cells, and completely abrogates the final maturation of CD4+8+3- cells into alpha beta TcR-expressing cells. In contrast, proliferation and differentiation of the earliest thymic precursors into CD44-25+ CD4-8-3- cells is not affected by CD71 treatment.
Brekelmans
P
P
Department of Immunology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
van Soest
P
P
Leenen
P J
PJ
van Ewijk
W
W
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology*; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005260:Female; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D011247:Pregnancy; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000032:analysis; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000032:analysis; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000502:physiology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015703:Antigens, CD; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte; C068126:CD71 antigen; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin