Role of different T cell receptors in the development of pre-T cells.
The development of pre-T cells with productive TCR-beta rearrangements can be mediated by each the pre-T cell receptor (pre-TCR), the TCR-alphabeta as well as the TCR-gammadelta, albeit by distinct mechanisms. Although the TCR-gammadelta affects CD4-8- precursor cells irrespective of their rearrangement status by TCR-beta mechanisms not involving TCR-beta selection, both the pre-TCR and the TCR-alphabeta select only cells with productive TCR-beta genes for expansion and maturation. The TCR-alphabeta appears to be much less effective than the pre-TCR because of the paucity of TCR-alpha proteins in TCR-beta-positive precursors since an early expressed transgenic TCR-alphabeta can largely substitute for the pre-TCR. Thus, the TCR-alphabeta can assume a role not only in the rescue from programmed cell death of CD4+8+ but also of CD4-8- thymocytes. In evolution this double function of the TCR-alphabeta may have been responsible for the maturation of alphabeta T cells before the advent of the pre-TCR-alpha chain.
Buer
J
J
Institut Necker, Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale, Paris, France.
Aifantis
I
I
DiSanto
J P
JP
Fehling
H J
HJ
von Boehmer
H
H
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000502:physiology; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000502:physiology*; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000502:physiology*; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology
D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2