Differential contribution of thymic outputs and peripheral expansion in the development of peripheral T cell pools.
The number of peripheral T cells in mice increases up to 100-fold in the first few weeks of life. We have followed the fate of Thy-1 congenic T cells transferred into newborn recipients, to evaluate the relative contribution of thymic output versus peripheral expansion in the constitution of peripheral T cell pools during post-natal development. The results show that in normal animals there is essentially no peripheral expansion of T cells, which show slow turnover rates (1 to 2 months) along that time period. The rates of cell accumulation in the periphery require, therefore, an average of 1 x 10(6)-2 x 10(6) mature thymic emigrants/day for the first 3 weeks of life.
Modigliani
Y
Y
Unité d'Immunobiologie, CNRS URA 359, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Coutinho
G
G
Burlen-Defranoux
O
O
Coutinho
A
A
Bandeira
A
A
D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology*