title: Interleukin 7 receptor-deficient mice lack gammadelta T cells.
abstract: The interleukin 7 receptor (IL-7R) plays a crucial role in early B- and T-cell development. It consists of a unique a chain and a common gamma chain [IL-2 receptor gamma chain (IL-2Rgamma)]. Gene inactivation of IL-7, IL-7R, and IL-2Rgamma resulted in severe impairment of B and T lymphopoiesis in mice. In addition, IL-2Rgamma-deficient mice lack gammadelta T cells in the skin and have the impaired development of natural killer (NK) cells and intraepithelial lymphocytes. To explore the role of IL-7/IL-7R system in gammadelta T- and NK-cell development, we have generated and analyzed IL-7R-deficient mice. gammadelta T cells were absent from skin, gut, liver, and spleen in the deficient mice. In contrast, alphabeta T and B cells were detected in reduced, but certain, numbers, and NK cells developed normally. The gammadelta T-cell development in fetal and adult thymus was also completely blocked. These results clearly demonstrate that the signal from IL-7R is indispensable for gammadelta T-cell development in both thymic and extrathymic pathways. On the contrary, it is suggested that NK-cell development requires cytokine(s) other than IL-7.
authors.affiliation: Department of Disease-Related Gene Regulation Research (Sandoz) Faculty of Medicine, The Univerisity of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sunaga
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Komagata
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kodaira
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mabuchi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karasuyama
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yokomuro
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikuta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D017931:DNA Primers; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015698:Genomic Library; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D020395:Receptors, Interleukin-7; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013234:Stem Cells; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D017931:DNA Primers; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin; D020395:Receptors, Interleukin-7