title: Involvement of transcription factors TCF-1 and GATA-3 in the initiation of the earliest step of T cell development in the thymus.
abstract: Flow cytometric and immunocytochemical analyses of murine fetal thymus (FT) cells with antibodies to various surface markers and transcription factors reveal that the synthesis of TCF-1 and GATA-3 protein begins simultaneously in a fraction of the most immature population of FT cells, which have the phenotype of CD4-CD8-CD44+CD25-. No TCF-1-producing cells is found in the fetal liver (FL). In CD44+CD25- FT cells, the production of TCF-1 is immediately followed by intracellular expression of CD3 epsilon. It is also found that the T cell development from FL, but not FT, progenitors in the FT organ culture system is severely inhibited by the addition of antisense oligonucleotides for either TCF-1 or GATA-3. These results strongly suggest that TCF-1 and GATA-3 play essential roles in the initiation of the earliest steps of T cell development in the thymus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Kyoto University, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawamoto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuno
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katsura
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D050990:GATA3 Transcription Factor; D000882:Haplorhini; D051538:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-alpha; D051740:Ikaros Transcription Factor; D051821:Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011817:Rabbits; D051822:T Cell Transcription Factor 1; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D016335:Zinc Fingers
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050990:GATA3 Transcription Factor; C494748:Gata3 protein, mouse; D051538:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-alpha; C496488:Hnf1a protein, mouse; D051821:Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1; D051822:T Cell Transcription Factor 1; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051740:Ikaros Transcription Factor