title: An alternate pathway for T cell development supported by the bone marrow microenvironment: recapitulation of thymic maturation.
abstract: In the principal pathway of alpha/beta T cell maturation, T cell precursors from the bone marrow migrate to the thymus and proceed through several well-characterized developmental stages into mature CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. This study demonstrates an alternative pathway in which the bone marrow microenvironment also supports the differentiation of T cell precursors into CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. The marrow pathway recapitulates developmental stages of thymic maturation including a CD4+CD8+ intermediary cell and positive and negative selection, and is strongly inhibited by the presence of mature T cells. The contribution of the marrow pathway in vivo requires further study in mice with normal and deficient thymic or immune function.
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: García-Ojeda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dejbakhsh-Jones
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Weissman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Strober
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta