Analyses of extrathymic T cell differentiation in nu/nu mice by grafting embryonal organs.
Fetal (days 15 to 17) organs such as the small intestine, stomach and pancreas were engrafted under the renal capsules of athymic nude (nu/nu) mice to examine the capacity of these organs to induce the differentiation of T cells. Eight weeks after engraftment, the engrafted organs had differentiated into adult-type organs histologically. In the lamina propria of the engrafted small intestine, large intestine, and stomach, there were clusters of lymphocytes or lymphoid follicles, which included Thy1.2+ or CD4+ T cells. Flow cytometric analyses revealed that the lymphocytes from the lymph nodes of sham-, esophagus-, or pancreas-engrafted mice included very few T cells (1.20%), whereas those from the lymph nodes of the fetal small intestine-, large intestine-, or stomach-engrafted mice included significant numbers of T cells (8.36%) 8 weeks after engraftment, although there were not as many as in the fetal thymus-engrafted mice (17.97%). The peripheral T cells in the small intestine-, large intestine-, or stomach-engrafted mice were of bone marrow origin, and consisted of Thy1.2+, CD3+, and CD4+8-, or CD4-8+ with T cell receptor (TcR) alpha beta cells. Taken together, these findings indicate that not only the murine small intestine and large intestine but also the stomach have the capacity to induce the differentiation of T cells.
Hayashi
H
H
First Department of Pathology, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
Toki
J
J
Lian
Z
Z
Inoue
K
K
Ikehara
S
S
D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly / Q000235:genetics; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D004947:Esophagus / Q000637:transplantation; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation / Q000276:immunology; D005333:Fetus / Q000276:immunology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007420:Intestine, Large / Q000637:transplantation; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000637:transplantation; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008819:Mice, Nude; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation / Q000276:immunology; D013270:Stomach / Q000637:transplantation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000637:transplantation; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology*
D000950:Antigens, Ly