title: Survival-independent function of NF-kappaB/Rel during late stages of thymocyte differentiation.
abstract: Transcription factors of the NF-kappaB/Rel family are important mediators of extracellular signals. Their implication in positive selection of thymocytes is suggested by a defective thymic development in transgenic mice that over-express IkappaB in thymocytes. These mice exhibit an accumulation of an unusually prominent population of TCRhigh/CD4/CD8 double positive cells in the thymus and a dramatic reduction of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in the periphery. The present study addresses the role of NF-kappaB in survival and differentiation processes of maturing thymocytes using IkappaB/bcl-2 and IkappaB/HY double-transgenic mice. Neither the introduction of the anti-apoptosis gene bcl-2 nor the positively selecting background in female HY transgenic mice resulted in a rescue of the maturational defects observed in the thymus of IkappaB transgenic mice. Thus, rather than promoting survival the main role of NF-kappaB/Rel proteins during positive selection of thymocytes appears to be the mediation of differentiation signals.
authors.affiliation: Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Esslinger
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Jongeneel
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: MacDonald
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D019254:Genes, bcl-2; D006182:H-Y Antigen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020672:I-kappa B Proteins; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D000072000:NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D020569:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-rel; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006182:H-Y Antigen; D020672:I-kappa B Proteins; D016328:NF-kappa B; C000606205:Nfkbia protein, mouse; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D020569:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-rel; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D000072000:NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha