title: Identification of a new mouse beta-chemokine, thymus-derived chemotactic agent 4, with activity on T lymphocytes and mesangial cells.
abstract: Thymus-derived chemotactic agent 4 (TCA4), a new member of the beta-chemokine family, was cloned from a mouse thymic cDNA library. High levels of TCA4 mRNA are expressed in thymus; lower levels of message are found in spleen, heart, and kidney. Anti-TCA4 antibodies were used to localize sites of TCA4 expression within lymphoid tissues. In the thymus, UEA-1+ medullary epithelial cells, some endothelial cells, and additional undefined stromal elements were stained with anti-TCA4. TCA4 was also expressed as a meshlike network in splenic white pulp and in the medullary region of the lymph nodes. In addition, some lymph node and splenic blood vessels stained with anti-TCA4 antibodies. Rel B NFkappaB-deficient mice lack a transcription factor required for the generation of dendritic cells and the development of an organized thymic medulla. Rel B-deficient animals express very low levels of TCA4 in the thymus and little or no TCA4 in the periphery. At subnanomolar concentrations, TCA4 is a chemoattractant of mature T cells; the potential role of this novel chemokine in facilitating normal lymphocyte traffic is discussed. TCA4 is also a chemoattractant of cultured mesangial cells. Neutralizing anti-TCA4 mAb was used to demonstrate the specificity of TCA4-mediated cell migration. Finally, competitive binding studies with a SV40-transformed mouse mesangial cell line demonstrated that other murine beta-chemokines (monocyte chemotactic protein-1, macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha, macrophage inflammatory protein-1beta, and thymus-derived chemotactic agent 3) do not compete for TCA4 binding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115-5701, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Quackenbush
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Collins-Racie
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reilly
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Dorf
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology; D019742:Chemokines, CC / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002633:Chemotaxis; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005260:Female; D005920:Glomerular Mesangium / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D019742:Chemokines, CC; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011994:Recombinant Proteins