Involvement of transcription factors TCF-1 and GATA-3 in the initiation of the earliest step of T cell development in the thymus.
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.
Hattori
N
N
Department of Immunology, Kyoto University, Japan.
Kawamoto
H
H
Fujimoto
S
S
Kuno
K
K
Katsura
Y
Y
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
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