TCR-mediated death of mature T lymphocytes occurs in the absence of p53.
The p53 protein plays an important role in various forms of thymocyte apoptosis, however its role in mature T lymphocyte death caused by TCR stimulation has not been examined. We demonstrate here that T cell blasts derived from mice containing a germ-line deficiency of the p53 tumor suppressor gene are susceptible to TCR-induced apoptosis to the same degree as wild-type T cells. TCR stimulation of both resting and proliferatingT cells results in up-regulated expression of the p53-induced genes Bax and p21, and the induction of these genes appears reduced in T cells that are deficient in p53. Thus, while activation of p53-dependent genes following TCR stimulation is defective in p53-/- T cells, there is no impairment in their ability to undergo apoptosis. These results suggest that TCR-mediated apoptosis of mature T cells takes place via a pathway that is independent of p53.
Boehme
S A
SA
Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Lenardo
M J
MJ
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016158:Genes, p53; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
D017931:DNA Primers; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53