CD4/CD8 lineage commitment: matching fate with competence.
The outcome of positive selection of T lymphocytes is that there is a close match between the lineage adopted by a particular cell (CD4+ or CD8+) and the specificity of the T-cell receptor for the class of Major Histocompatibility Complex molecule recognized. How this match is obtained has been a matter of debate. We review the evidence, from recent and older experiments, that indicates that the process follows a selective logic, rather than an instructive one.
Chan
S
S
Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (CNRS/INSERM/ULP) Strasbourg, France. cbdm@igbmc.u-strasbg.fr
Correia-Neves
M
M
Benoist
C
C
Mathis
D
D
D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D006801:Humans