title: Interleukin-10 enhances gamma delta T cell development in the murine fetal thymus.
abstract: We have investigated the ability of interleukin-10 (IL-10) to modulate murine intrathymic T cell differentiation using a fetal thymic organ culture (FTOC) model. Addition of as little as 11 ng of recombinant murine IL-10 (mIL-10) per day produced a significant increase in the proportion and number of gamma delta-TCR+ cells in 4-day cultures derived from Gestational Day 14 mice, compared to vehicle-treated cultures. This effect occurred in the absence of any changes in other parameters of intrathymic T cell development. The increase in the gamma delta-TCR population included an enlargement of the V gamma 2+, V gamma 3+, and V delta 4+ populations. The enhancement of gamma delta cell development was not observed in 2- or 7-day cultures, indicating the time dependence of this response. Overall, these results reveal that IL-10 treatment of FTOC can affect murine gamma delta T cell development and suggest that this cytokine may mediate specific events in the generation of the gamma delta T cell repertoire.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Schering-Plough Research Institute, Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Fine
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Macosko
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Grace
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Narula
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D016753:Interleukin-10